This gallery resembles a typical 13th-century church interior. The 20th-century builders wanted to evoke a medieval funerary chapel where the dead are buried and commemorated. The tombs and other sculptures filling the room date from the Middle Ages.

Prominent medieval people were buried in highly decorated tombs like these. This one was sculpted in the 14th century for a Catalonian nobleman. While tombs like this were made to hold bodies, The Cloisters’ are empty.

These windows show how some glass-making workshops used standard templates to plan window designs. The artists of these three central windows followed this practice to depict saints including Holy Roman Emperor Henry II and Queen Kunigunde.

Just off the cloister, monks congregated in this chapter house to pray, read, and discuss community matters. Imagine them sitting on stone benches around the wall to face each other.

In this room, stone arches, called “ribs,” articulate the curved ceilings, called “vaults.” Both brick and stone are used: molded brick columns stand against the wall, while abstract patterns fill stone surfaces enlivened by the play of light and shadow.

In the wake of the French Revolution, the abbey (or monastery) of Notre-Dame de Pontaut was converted into a farm; its chapter house became a barn. This iron ring was likely added to tether the animals.

This 12th-century apse has massive, thick stone walls, small windows, rounded arches, a barrel vault, and a half dome. Originally part of the medieval chapel San Martín de Fuentidueña in Spain, the apse once sheltered the main altar.

Remarkably, the Fuentidueña apse is a long-term loan from the Spanish government. In 1958, each of these 3,300 limestone blocks was individually numbered and shipped by freighter to New York City. Reconstruction at The Cloisters took four years.

Mural paintings adorned the walls of many medieval churches. This fresco, depicting Mary and the infant Jesus, served as a visual focal point for the Christian faithful who worshipped in the Catalonian church that it originally decorated.

Southern France is home to many Roman ruins, which might explain the classical motifs here. The Corinthian capital was inspired by jagged acanthus leaves. The meander motif (“Greek Key”) also derives from ancient designs; its iconic right angles form a decorative band.

The monastery’s sainted founder, Guilhem (William) was a medieval knight who retired to a life of prayer and contemplation. Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert lies along a well-traveled route followed by religious pilgrims. The undulating column shafts evoke the many waterfalls in this region.

Whimsical designs decorate the columns of this cloisters’ arcade. One looks like the trunk of a palm tree. Others include rosettes or the tendrils of climbing vines. Variety, inventiveness, and creativity were valued qualities among medieval artists.