Since the Middle Ages, columns can be classified in a simplified manner into various periods, and a diversity of typologies can be found in the same building. The periods can be differentiated into: early Christian, pre-Romanesque, Byzantine, Romanesque, Islamic, Gothic and Renaissance:.

The pillars have undergone a great transformation since the origin of architecture, regardless of the fact that their usual use has not changed noticeably. With significantly different evolutions in the ancient world (Greece, Egypt...), the pillars or supports were born from the practical need to support the roof of a building.

In their original forms, in a similar way to the structures of trees, the pillars had three different parts; base, shaft and capital. The base and capital were widened shapes whose basic objective was to avoid punching or excessively concentrated loads, both of the cover on the pillar and of the pillar on the ground. The shaft, on the other hand, did not need to be so wide, so making it thinner than the base and capital represented a weight saving.

With very elaborate morphologies in the past, in the Middle Ages we returned to the beginning of an evolution in the morphology of the pillars. The pillar evolves from square to cruciform, from free-standing pillars that support the ribs of the vaults, to integrating them into the pillar. This evolution in which the ribs and roof arches have continuity up to the pavement, exploits a current of sculptural displays in which the section of the support is complicated to limits that are difficult to reach.

Later, thin columns or baquetones proliferated on the supports and star-shaped grooves. This evolution leads to a more complex pillar (fasciculated), which has the shaft formed by several thin columns (baquetones), which allows multiplying the support possibilities and its continuity with the ribs of the domes. The following periods take the path of simplification and simplicity of processes, for the sake of clearer architectural concepts.

Currently the pillars are usually made of reinforced concrete and/or steel. These materials, unlike stone block pillars joined by mortar, have the capacity to withstand much greater tensile and bending forces. In block columns, any eccentric load or slight bending produces a greater separation of the blocks on the less compressed fiber and a greater compression on the opposite side, directly conditioning the height of a column to its section, forcing the cross section of the columns to be increased proportionally if taller buildings are built. With modern construction techniques of metal structure and reinforced concrete, the need for large capitals or bases has greatly decreased.

Since the Middle Ages, columns can be classified in a simplified manner into various periods, and a diversity of typologies can be found in the same building. The periods can be differentiated into: early Christian, pre-Romanesque, Byzantine, Romanesque, Islamic, Gothic and Renaissance:.