A rotunda () is any roofed building with a circular ground plan, and sometimes covered by a

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

. It may also refer to a round room within a building (an example being the one below the dome of the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called the Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the United States Congress, the United States Congress, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, federal g ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

). The Pantheon in Rome is perhaps the most famous, and is the most influential rotunda. A ''band rotunda'' is a circular

bandstand A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an ornamen ...

, usually with a dome.

Classical architecture

The terminology of

Ancient Greek architecture Ancient Greek architecture came from the Greeks, or Hellenes, whose Ancient Greece, culture flourished on the Greek mainland, the Peloponnese, the Aegean Islands, and in colonies in Asia Minor, Anatolia and Italy for a period from about 900 BC ...

and

Roman architecture Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical ancient Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often con ...

distinguishes between two types of rotunda: a tholos is enclosed by a wall, while a

monopteros A monopteros (Ancient Greek: , from: μόνος, 'only, single, alone', and , 'wing'), also called a monopteron or cyclostyle, is a circular colonnade supporting a roof but without any walls.Curl, James Stevens (2006). ''Oxford Dictionary of Archi ...

is just a circular colonnade with a roof (like a modern bandstand or park pavilion). It is not clear that any Greek example was actually a

Greek temple Greek temples (, semantically distinct from Latin , " temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancient Greek religion. The temple interiors did not serve as meeting places, since the sacrifices and ritu ...

, but several were

Roman temple Ancient Roman temples were among the most important buildings in culture of ancient Rome, Roman culture, and some of the richest buildings in Architecture of ancient Rome, Roman architecture, though only a few survive in any sort of complete ...

s, though mostly much smaller than the Pantheon, and with very different designs. The

Temple of Hercules Victor The Temple of Hercules Victor () or Hercules Olivarius (Latin language, Latin for "Hercules the Olive Branch, Olive-Bearer") is a ancient Roman religion, Roman Roman temple, temple in Piazza Bocca della Verità, the former Forum Boarium, in Rome ...

and

Temple of Vesta The Temple of Vesta, or the aedes (Latin ''Glossary of ancient Roman religion#aedes, Aedes Vestae''; Italian language, Italian: ''Tempio di Vesta''), was an ancient edifice in Rome, Italy. It is located in the Roman Forum near the Regia and the H ...

in Rome, along with the

Temple of Vesta, Tivoli The so-called Temple of Vesta is a small circular Roman temple (so a tholos (architecture), ''tholos'') in Tivoli, Italy, dating to the early 1st century BC. Its ruins are dramatically sited on the acropolis of the Etruscan and Roman city, overl ...

, are the best known and best preserved examples. The few large Greek ''tholoi'' had varied functions, not all of which are now clear. Several are at major religious sanctuaries, but seem not to have been conventional temples. At most only the foundations and a few columns remain in place. They include the

Tholos of Delphi The Tholos of Delphi is among the ancient structures of the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia in Delphi. The circular temple, a Tholos (architecture), tholos, shares the immediate site with other ancient foundations of the Temple of Athena Pronaia, a ...

, the Philippeion at Olympia, a small memorial to the family of

Philip of Macedon Philip II of Macedon (; 382 BC – October 336 BC) was the king (''basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ancient kingdom, and the fat ...

, and a large building at the

Sanctuary of Asclepius, Epidaurus The Sanctuary of Asclepius was a sanctuary in Epidaurus dedicated to Asclepius. Especially in the Classical and Hellenistic periods, it was the main holy site of Asclepius. The sanctuary at Epidaurus was the rival of such major cult sites as the S ...

. The largest Greek tholos, of uncertain function, was built in the

Samothrace temple complex The Samothrace Temple Complex, known as the Sanctuary of the Great Gods (Modern Greek Modern Greek (, or , ), generally referred to by speakers simply as Greek (, ), refers collectively to the dialects of the Greek language spoken in the mo ...

in the 260s BC. It is often called the Arsinoeum, as a dedication tablet for the Ptolomeic Queen

Arsinoe II Arsinoë II (, 316 BC – between 270 and 268 BC) was Queen consort of Thrace, Anatolia, and Macedonia by her first and second marriage, to king Lysimachus and king Ptolemy Keraunos respectively, and then Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egy ...

of Egypt has survived. The sanctuary was a great

Hellenistic In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

centre of

Greco-Roman mysteries Mystery religions, mystery cults, sacred mysteries or simply mysteries (), were religious schools of the Greco-Roman world for which participation was reserved to initiation rite, initiates ''(mystai)''. The main characteristic of these religiou ...

and the building probably played some role in these. The oldest, the Tholos of Athens, was a large and plain rotunda used as a dining hall, and perhaps more, by the city's ruling council. Later, very large, Roman rotundas include the

Castel Sant'Angelo Castel Sant'Angelo ( ), also known as Mausoleum of Hadrian (), is a towering rotunda (cylindrical building) in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. ...

in Rome, built in the 130s as a

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

for the emperor

Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...

, and in the Middle Ages turned into a castle, and the 4th-century Rotunda in

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

, probably also intended as an imperial mausoleum, but later used as a church and a mosque. The church of

Santa Costanza The Mausoleum of Constantina, also known as the ''Mausoleum of Santa Costanza'', was built in the 4th century AD for Constantina (also known as Constantia), the daughter of the emperor Constantine I. It later became a church. It is located in Ro ...

in Rome is a circular funerary chapel of the 4th century, probably built for one or more of the daughters of

Constantine the Great Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

, originally placed next to a funerary hall that is now only a ruined wall.

India

Some of the earliest free-standing temples in India are thought to have been of a circular type, as the Buddhist

Bairat Temple Bairat Temple is a freestanding Buddhist temple, a Chaityagriha, located about a mile southwest of the city Viratnagar, Rajasthan, India, on a hill locally called "Bijak-ki-Pahari" (). The temple is of a circular type, formed of a central stup ...

in Bairat,

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

, formed of a central ''

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

'' surrounded by a circular colonnade and an enclosing wall, built during the time of Emperor

Ashoka Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was List of Mauryan emperors, Emperor of Magadha from until #Death, his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynast ...

and near which were found several

Minor Rock Edicts The Minor Rock Edicts of Ashoka (r. 269–233 BCE) are rock inscriptions which form the earliest part of the Edicts of Ashoka, and predate Ashoka's Major Rock Edicts. These are the first edicts in the Indian language of Emperor Ashoka, written ...

. Ashoka also built the

Mahabodhi Temple The Mahabodhi Temple (literally: "Great Awakening Temple") or the Mahābodhi Mahāvihāra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an ancient, but restored Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India, marking the location where the Buddha is said to hav ...

Bodh Gaya Bodh Gayā is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple complex, situated in the Gaya district in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place where Gautam ...

circa 250 BC, possibly also a circular structure, next to the Bodhi tree. Representations of this early temple structure are found on a 100 BCE relief from the ''stupa'' railing at Bhārhut, as well as in

Sanchi Sanchi Stupa is a Buddhist art, Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the States and territories of India, State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometers from Raisen ...

. These circular-type temples were also found in later rock-hewn caves such as

Tulja Caves Tulja Caves (Tulja Lena) are located beyond the Shivneri hill, about 4 km to the west of Junnar, India. Other caves surrounding the city of Junnar are: Manmodi Caves, Shivneri Caves and Lenyadri, Lenyadri caves. The cave has circular Chaity ...

or Guntupalli. Circularity in

Buddhist architecture Buddhist religious architecture developed in the Indian subcontinent. Three types of structures are associated with the sacred architecture, religious architecture of History of Buddhism, early Buddhism: monasteries (viharas), places to venerate ...

was generally to allow a path for ''

pradakshina Parikrama or Pradakshina is clockwise circumambulation of sacred entities, and the path along which this is performed, as practiced in the Indic religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. In Buddhism, it refers only to the path alon ...

'' or devotional circling of a round and solid ''stupa''. It has been suggested that these circular structures with colonnades may have originated with the Greek circular tholos temple, as in the

, but circular wooden huts in India are a more likely source of inspiration. File:Sanchi Stupa from Eastern gate, Madhya Pradesh.jpg,

Sanchi Stupa Sanchi Stupa is a Buddhist art, Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the States and territories of India, State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometers from Raisen ...

in India, a Buddhist pilgrimage site File:Tulja_Lena_Chaitya_remains.jpg, Remains of a circular

Chaitya A chaitya, chaitya hall, chaitya-griha, (Sanskrit:''Caitya''; Pāli: ''Cetiya'') refers to a shrine, sanctuary, temple or prayer hall in Indian religions. The term is most common in Buddhism, where it refers to a space with a stupa and a rounded ...

File:Tulja Lena Chaitya cave plan and elevation.jpg, Tulja Lena

, plan and elevation File:Bodhi_tree_temple_depicted_in_Sanchi_Stupa_1_Southern_gateway.jpg,

depiction of the

File:Bairat_Temple_reconstitution.jpg, Reconstruction of the

Medieval and Renaissance Europe

The

Pisa Baptistery The Pisa Baptistery of St. John () is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical building in Pisa, Italy. Construction started in 1152 to replace an older baptistery, and when it was completed in 1363, it became the second building, in chronological order, i ...

is the outstanding late medieval rotunda, taking from 1152 to 1363 to build, and including Romanesque, Gothic and classicizing or Proto-Renaissance elements. There are a number of other

round church A round church is a church with a completely circular plan, thus a rotunda in architectural terms. There are many Nordic round churches in Sweden and Denmark (notably the island of Bornholm); round churches were popular in Scandinavia in the ...

es. The rotunda with columns was revived in one of the most influential buildings in

Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

, the '' Tempietto'' in a courtyard of the church of

San Pietro in Montorio San Pietro in Montorio (English: "Saint Peter on the Golden Mountain") is a church in Rome, Italy, which includes in its courtyard the ''Tempietto'', a small commemorative ''martyrium'' ('martyry') built by Donato Bramante. History The Church o ...

in Rome. This was designed by

Donato Bramante Donato Bramante (1444 – 11 April 1514), born as Donato di Pascuccio d'Antonio and also known as Bramante Lazzari, was an Italian architect and painter. He introduced Renaissance architecture to Milan and the High Renaissance style to Rom ...

around 1502 in strongly classicizing style. It is a small building whose innovation, as far as Western Europe was concerned, was to use the tholos form as the base for a dome above; this may have reflected a Byzantine structure in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

over the tomb of Christ. The Roman

(which has no dome) was probably also an influence. This pairing of tholos, now called a drum or

tholobate A tholobate (), also called a drum or tambour, is the upright part of a building on which a dome is raised. It is generally in the shape of a cylinder or a polygonal prism. The name derives from the tholos, the Greek term for a round building ...

, and dome became extremely popular raised high above main structures which were often based on the

Central Europe

A great number of

parochial church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

es were built in this form in the 9th to 11th centuries CE in

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

. These

es can be found in great number in

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

(particularly

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It was thought of as a structure descending from the Roman Pantheon. However, it can be found mainly not on former Roman territories, but in Central Europe. Generally its size was 6–9 meters inner diameter and the

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

was directed toward the east. Sometimes three or four apses were attached to the central circle and this type has relatives even in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

. File:Ac.galerius2.jpg, The famous Rotunda church in

, Greece File:Pisa Campo Miracoli.jpg, The

at the

Piazza dei Miracoli The Piazza dei Miracoli (; 'Square of Miracles'), formally known as Piazza del Duomo ('Cathedral Square'), is a walled compound in central Pisa, Tuscany, Italy, recognized as an important center of European medieval art and one of the finest ...

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

, Italy File:ØsterlarsRundkirke.JPG, The most well known Danish rotunda is the village parochial church at Østerlars. File:Rotunda-stary-plzenec.jpg, Rotunda in

Starý Plzenec Starý Plzenec (; ) is a town in Plzeň-City District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 5,400 inhabitants. Administrative division Starý Plzenec consists of two municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 ...

, Czech Republic from the 10th century File:Saint Nicholas church in Cieszyn (1).jpg, St. Nicholas Rotunda in

Cieszyn Cieszyn ( , ; ; ) is a border town in southern Poland on the east bank of the Olza River, and the administrative seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship. The town has 33,500 inhabitants ( and lies opposite Český Těšín in the Czech Repu ...

, Poland, 12th century

Carpathian Basin

Several types of rotundas are found in the

Carpathian Basin The Pannonian Basin, with the term Carpathian Basin being sometimes preferred in Hungarian literature, is a large sedimentary basin situated in southeastern Central Europe. After the Treaty of Trianon following World War I, the geomorphologic ...

, within the former boundaries of

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

. Building of rotundas in Carpathian basin started already in 9th century in

Great Moravia Great Moravia (; , ''Meghálī Moravía''; ; ; , ), or simply Moravia, was the first major state that was predominantly West Slavic to emerge in the area of Central Europe, possibly including territories which are today part of the Czech Repub ...

. According to the research and

radiocarbon dating Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for Chronological dating, determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of carbon-14, radiocarbon, a radioactive Isotop ...

of plaster, Rotunda of st. George in Nitrianska Blatnica was built sometimes around the year 830, what makes it one of the oldest still standing buildings in the area of Central Europe. Similar rotunda was standing in hillfort Kostolec in Ducové (only foundations remained). The role and form of rotundas developed from gradual enlargements of ancient small village churches. Many of them still stand today, e.g. in Nagytótlak, Kallósd and Kissikátor in

or in

Bíňa Bíňa () is a municipality and village in the Nové Zámky District in the Nitra Region of south-west Slovakia. Geography The village lies at an elevation of 132 metres (433 ft) and covers an area of 23.501 km² (9.074 mi²). Hi ...

and

Šivetice Šivetice () is a village and municipality in Revúca District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia. Šivetice used to be knowns for its ceramics. Monuments of Šivetice include a romanesque rotunda, a classicist lutheran church and the ru ...

. Rotunda in Šivetice is the biggest one in Central Europe, with diameter of 11 m. In many places the ancient foundations have been excavated and conserved. The village church of

Sárospatak Sárospatak (; ; Serbian language, Serbian: Муд Стреам; Slovak language, Slovakian: ''Šarišský Potok, Blatný Potok)'' History The area has been inhabited since ancient times. Sárospatak was granted town status in 1201 by Emeric ...

is complete with a simple circular nave and an eastern apse. The church of Alagimajor at Dunakeszi was enlarged toward the apse in the 14th century. More significant enlargement of the central rotunda is seen at Isaszeg where the extension extended toward the East and West; the rotunda foundations can also be seen in the central portion of the nave of the Gothic church. In many cases the rotunda was used as the apse of the village's new and larger church (Bagod-Szentpál, Hidegség, Vágkeresztur, Ipolykiskeszi, Herencsény, Szalonna). Such semi-circle apses are preserved all over the Carpathian Basin. Rotundas of six apses, a most interesting form, are found at

Karcsa Karcsa is a village in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Ro ...

Kiszombor Kiszombor is a more than 800 years old village in Csongrád County, in the Southern Great Plain region of southern Hungary. Geography It covers an area of and has a population of 3795 people (2015). It is an agricultural village, near the Maros ...

in Hungary, at Horjany in Ukraine and several places in

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

(Aragatz, Bagaran, Bagnayr, Botshor, Kiagmis Alti). File:Nagytotlak.JPG, Romanesque village church in Selo, Slovenia File:Öskü - Rotunda.jpg, Rotunda,

Öskü Öskü () is a village in Veszprém county, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to th ...

, Hungary File:Kiszombor, körtemplom.jpg, Rotunda,

, Hungary File:Szalonna church.jpg, Rotunda rebuilt into bigger church in Szalonna, Hungary File:Jurko2.jpg, Great Moravian rotunda of St. George. Nitrianska Blatnica, Slovakia File:Sivetice rotunda.jpg, Rotunda of St. Margaret the Virgin in

, Slovakia; the biggest rotunda in Central Europe File:Ducove.jpg, Foundations of Great Moravian rotunda in Kostolec gord in

Ducové Ducové () is a municipality (village) situated in western Slovakia, near the spa town of Piešťany. It was part of the municipality Moravany nad Váhom from 1976 to 1992. The village lies under the Váh Inovec. According to the 2011 census, the ...

, Slovakia

Caucasus

There is an interesting connection between Central European and

Caucasian Caucasian may refer to: Common meanings *Anything from the Caucasus region or related to it ** Ethnic groups in the Caucasus ** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus re ...

rotundas of the 9th to 11th centuries AD. Several Armenian built rotunda churches have sixfold arched central apsis, i.e. at Aragatz,

Bagaran Bagaran () was a city in ancient Armenia founded during the reign of the Orontid dynasty. It is one of the historical capitals of ancient Armenia. History Ancient and medieval According to the Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi, Bagaran was ...

, Bagnayr, Botshor, Kiagmis Alti in

. At the same time eightfold arched central buildings (rotunda) are also frequently occurring in Armenia: Ani, Irind, Varzhahan. It was a suggestion (Csemegi J.) that there was not only western European but Eastern Caucasian relation for architects of Hungary in this age of King Stephen I of Hungary. Good example of Georgian rotunda church is Bana cathedral which is now located on territory of Turkey.

East Asia

Temple of Heaven The Temple of Heaven () is a complex of imperial Religious Confucianism, religious Confucian buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. The complex was visited by the Emperor of China, Emperors of the Ming dynasty, Ming and ...

construction completed on 1420 during

Yongle Emperor The Yongle Emperor (2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Chengzu of Ming, personal name Zhu Di, was the third List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 142 ...

who also constructed

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is the Chinese Empire, imperial Chinese palace, palace complex in the center of the Imperial City, Beijing, Imperial City in Beijing, China. It was the residence of 24 Ming dynasty, Ming and Qing dynasty, Qing dynasty L ...

of China * Fujian Tulou is a traditional rural dwellings of the

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka-speaking Chinese, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas, are a southern Han Chinese subgroup whose principal settlements and ancestral homes are dispersed widely across the provinces of southern China ...

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

region of China. They are built between the 12th and the 20th centuries. File:Temple of Heaven 20160323 01.jpg, Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the largest building in the Temple of Heaven File:Snail pit tulou.jpg, Tianluokeng tulou cluster File:Zhenchenglou 4 rings.JPG, 4 concentric ring architecture of Chengqi lou

Notable rotundas

Rotunda interior steinway hall nyc mia laberge art case piano

Religious

Baptistery In Church architecture, Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek language, Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned ...

at the

, Italy *

Pantheon, Rome The Pantheon (, ; ,Although the spelling ''Pantheon'' is standard in English, only ''Pantheum'' is found in classical Latin; see, for example, Pliny, ''Natural History'36.38 "Agrippas Pantheum decoravit Diogenes Atheniensis". See also ''Oxfor ...

, Italy, originally built as a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

to the seven

deities A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

of the seven

planet A planet is a large, Hydrostatic equilibrium, rounded Astronomical object, astronomical body that is generally required to be in orbit around a star, stellar remnant, or brown dwarf, and is not one itself. The Solar System has eight planets b ...

s in the state religion of

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

; now used as a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

informally named ''Santa Maria della Rotonda'' *

Santo Stefano Rotondo The Basilica of St. Stephen in the Round on the Caelian Hill (, ) is an ancient basilica and titular church in Rome, Italy. Commonly named Santo Stefano Rotondo, the church is Hungary's "national church" in Rome, dedicated to both Saint Stephen, ...

, Rome * The Church of the Rotonda in

, built as the " Tomb of Galerius" in 306 AD * St George Rotunda in

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, a 4th-century Early Christian church *

St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

Cathedral Church at Zvartnots, Armenia * St. Martin's Rotunda in Vyšehrad, Vyšehrad Castle, Prague, Czech Republic * Rotunda of Saint Catherine in Znojmo, Czech Republic * St. Alexander's Church, Warsaw, St. Alexander's Church in Warsaw, Poland * Rotunda of St Marija Assunta in Mosta, Malta * Temple Church in London * Chausathi Yogini temples at Chausathi Jogini Temple, Hirapur, Chausath Yogini Temple, Jabalpur, Jabalpur and Chausath Yogini Temple, Morena, Morena in India * Bahá'í House of Worship in Willmette, Illinois, US * Rotunda, Aldershot, The Rotunda in Aldershot in the UK, built in 1876 and demolished in the 1980s

Monuments

*Gonbad-e Qabus (tower), Qabus Tower, in Gonbad-e Kavus, Iran. Built in 1006 AD. It is the burial place of Qabus, an emir of Ziyarid dynasty. at 61 meters, it is one of the highest historical buildings of its' kind. *Resket Tower, in Resket-e Olya, Iran. Probably built in 1021, it is the grave of an emir of Bavand dynasty. it is 20 kilometres away from the similar Lajim Tower. *Lajim Tower, in Lajim, Iran. built in 1022 AD, it is the grave of an emir of Bavand dynasty. *Toghrol Tower, in Ray, Iran. Many consider it to be the burial place of Tughril I, founder of Seljuk Empire, who died in 1063 AD. *Aladdin Tower, in Varamin, Iran. Built in 1298 AD, it is the grave of a local governor of Ilkhanate. *Dome of Soltaniyeh, in Soltaniyeh, Iran. Built in 1312 AD, it is the maosuleum of Öljaitü, Mongol ruler of Ilkhanate. it is still one of the biggest unreinforced domes in the world.

Entertainment

*Ranelagh Gardens in London, built in the 1740s and demolished in 1805. It was painted by Canaletto. *Takyeh Dowlat, in Tehran, built in 1868, demolished in 1947. it was located in Golestan Palace and was used for religious ceremonies. *Pantheon, London, opened 1772, demolished in 1937. *The leisure centre at Fort Regent, in Saint Helier, St Helier, Jersey, a regular venue for shows, concerts and events * The internal Rotunda in the Michael Maddox Petrovsky Theatre, Moscow (burnt down in 1805). *Gate Theatre in Dublin, Ireland (formerly part of the Rotunda Hospital, built in 1757). *Roundhouse (venue), Roundhouse in London, originally built in 1847 as a Turntable (railroad), turntable Motive power depot, engine shed, it was used as a gin store till being converted into a theatre in the 1960s. *Royal Albert Hall in London, England. *British Film Institute, IMAX Theatre in London, England. *The Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Citi Field. *Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest. It is a concert hall and a landmark of the Romanian capital city. Opened in 1888, the ornate, domed, circular building is the city's main concert hall and home of the "George Enescu" Philharmonic and of the George Enescu annual international music festival. * Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, built in 1922 *Riding Mountain (roller coaster), 18th century entertainment pavilion in Tsarskoe Selo, Russia architected by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli had a rotunda interior

Residential

*Villa Capra "La Rotonda" by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio in Vicenza, Italy. *Ickworth House in Suffolk, England. *Mereworth Castle in Kent, England. *Rotunda (Birmingham), The Rotunda in Birmingham, England, built as an office building in 1964. *The Rotunda Building, Norfolk, Virginia, rebuilt in 2007.

Learning

* The Radcliffe Camera, Oxford, completed in 1748. * The Rotunda (University of Virginia), The Rotunda at the University of Virginia built in 1826. * British Museum Reading Room, London, built in 1857. * The Rotunda Museum, Scarborough, North Yorkshire. * The Manchester Central Library, Central Library, Manchester. * Dallas Hall at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, built in 1911. * Grawemeyer Hall at the University of Louisville, built in 1926. * Stockholm Public Library, Stockholm, built in 1928. * Umeå University, Umeå, built in 1972. * Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal built in 1933. * Science Museum of Virginia built in 1919 * Vanderbilt University's Wyatt Center. * Drew University's Dorothy Young Center for the Arts built in 2002, and opened in 2003. * The Campus Activity Centre at Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia. * Ruffner Hall at Longwood University built in 1839, reconstructed in 2004 *University Community Center (University of West Georgia) built in 1962.

Government

*San Francisco City Hall *Beehive (building), The Beehive, the executive wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings * California State Capitol Rotunda in Sacramento, California. * Library of Parliament, a library for Canadian Parliamentarians. The only component of the Centre Block of Parliament to survive the Centre Block#Great fire, 1916 fire * The Rotundas, Marsham Street, a subterranean structure in Marsham Street in London * The Samsad Bhavan, or the federal Parliament of India, in New Delhi * San Jose City Hall rotunda in San Jose, California, an all-glass, postmodern structure * United States Capitol rotunda * West Virginia State Capitol * Wisconsin State Capitol Rotundahttp://tours.wisconsin.gov/pub/Content.aspx?p=Photo Tour – Rotunda * Vermont State Capitol

Commercial

* Capitol Records Building in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California * PKO Rotunda, Warsaw, Poland

References

*A. W. Lawrence, Lawrence, A. W., ''Greek Architecture'', 1957, Penguin, Pelican history of art

External links

{{Authority control Rooms Domes Rotundas (architecture), Round buildings, *