propylaeum
A vestibule or entrance, (especially) to a temple.
historical
On either side of the road young girls stood with pitchers at the fountains which bubbled there, and behind the houses forming the propylaea of the rock rose the massive forehead of the Isle — crested at this part with its enormous ramparts as with a mural crown.
Where it comes from
From Latin propylaeum, from Ancient Greek προπύλαιον (propúlaion), from προ- (pro-, “before”, “in front of”) + πύλη (púlē, “gate”).
Adapted from the Wiktionary entry propylaeum (CC BY-SA 4.0).