SPIRE

(0. E. spir, a blade of gra ), a tapering pointed roof, crowning a tower of church or other building; favorite feature of Gothic architecture; great variety of forms; common type, octagonal s. on square tower; broach s. has no parapet at base; many s’s are exceedingly high, and some (e.g., St. Stephen’s, Vienna) ornamented with elaborate tracery. The highest s’s are Ulm, 532 ft.; Cologne, 512; Rouen, 483. HE.) (ancient August a Nemetum or Nov i ogam us), town, on Rhine, Bavaria, capital of the Palatinate; bp.’s see; cathedral, 1030; the Reformers first were called Protestants at the famous Diet of 1529. Pop. 25,000.