An architrave ( /ˈɑrkɨtreɪv/; from Italian: architrave, also called an epistyle; from Greek επίστυλο, epistylo or door frame) is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.
In classical entablature, it is the lowest part of the entablature consisting of architrave, frieze and cornice. The word is derived from the Greek and Latin words arche and trabs combined together to mean "main beam". The architrave is different in the different orders. In the Tuscan, it only consists of a plain face, crowned with a fillet, and is half a module in height. In the Doric and composite, it has two faces, or fasciae; and three in the Ionic and Corinthian, in which it is 10/12 of a module high, though but half a module in the rest.[1]
The word architrave is also used to refer more generally to the mouldings (or other elements) framing a door, window or other rectangular opening.[2]