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 Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

(notably the island of

Bornholm Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. I ...

); round churches were popular in Scandinavia in the 11th and early 12th centuries. Round churches should not be confused with the older types of round-tower church constructions. Churches with many-sided

polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain. The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...

al shapes (such as the 16-sided example in Richmond, Vermont, United States) are likewise colloquially referred to as 'round'.

Round churches by country

Armenia

Zvartnots Cathedral in Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin), often cited as the world's largest round church during its existence in the Middle Ages

Bosnia

Church of the Holy Transfiguration,

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

Brazil

Cathedral of Brasília

Bulgaria

Round Church, Preslav

Canada

* Our Lady of Victory Church,

Inuvik Inuvik (''place of man'') is the only town in the Inuvik Region, and the List of municipalities in the Northwest Territories, third largest community in Canada's Northwest Territories. Located in what is sometimes called the Beaufort Delta Re ...

* St. Jude's Cathedral, Iqaluit * Saint George's Round Church, Halifax

Croatia

* Church of Saint Vitus,

Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...

* Church of Saint Donatus,

Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...

Czech Republic

*Rotunda of St. Catherine, Znojmo *Rotunda of St. Peter and Paul, Budeč -the oldest, believed to have been built between 895-915. *Rotunda of St. Peter and Paul, Starý Plzenec *Rotunda of St. George and St. Vojtěch, Říp *Rotunda of St. Martin, Vyšehrad(Prague) This list is not complete. There are 29 surviving Romanesque rotundas or their torsos in the Czech Republic. All dating to the times of Great Moravia. There used to be at least 52, proven by archaeology or found in historical records.

Denmark

* Nyker Church * Nylars Church * Saint Ols Church * Østerlars Church,

* Bjernede Church,

Zealand Zealand ( ) is the largest and most populous islands of Denmark, island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size) at 7,031 km2 (2715 sq. mi.). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 Januar ...

* Horne Church,

Funen Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...

(with later gothic extensions) * Thorsager Church,

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

Ethiopia

* Ura Kidane Mehret Church, Lake Tana

France

Medieval churches of Saint-Bonnet-la-Rivière and Neuvy-Saint-Sépulchre, Baroque churches as Chapelle de l'Oratoire,

Avignon Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the Communes of France, commune had a ...

and Vieille Charité church,

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, Abbaye St Croix in Quimperle.

Germany

Aachen Cathedral Aachen Cathedral () is a Catholic Church, Catholic church in Aachen, Germany and the cathedral of the Diocese of Aachen. One of the oldest cathedral buildings in Europe, it was constructed as the royal chapel of the Palace of Aachen of Holy Rom ...

. Liebfrauenkirche in Trier. St. Ludwig in

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the States of Germany, state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Frankfurt Rhine Main Area, Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the ...

Hessen Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major historic cities are Da ...

. There is also a round church in Untersuhl,

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

Hungary

* Saint Anne Church, Kallósd * Roman Catholic Church, Kiszombor * Rotunda, Öskü * St.

Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...

Rotunda, Ják * Neoclassical church, Balatonfüred (19th century)

Italy

* Church of Saint Stephen,

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

* Church of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux,

* Old Cathedral,

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

* Church of Saint Lawrence,

Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...

* Santo Stefano, Bologna * Church of Saint Angelo,

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

* Church of Saint Marie,

Forlì Forlì ( ; ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is, together with Cesena, the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena.The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the east of the Montone river, ...

Malta

* Sarria Church * Rotunda of Mosta

Mexico

* Capilla del Pocito, an 18th-century

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

chapel now part of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe complex in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

The Netherlands

* Ronde Lutherse Kerk

Norway

* St. Olav's Abbey, Tønsberg

Philippines

* Padre Pio Shrine,

Santo Tomas, Batangas Santo Tomas, officially the City of Santo Tomas ('), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population ...

* Church of the Holy Sacrifice in the campus of the

University of the Philippines Diliman The University of the Philippines Diliman (also called UPD; ), also referred to as UP Diliman, is a State university and college (Philippines), public, coeducational, Research university, research university located in Diliman, Quezon City, Ph ...

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read and pronounced in Filipino language, Filipino as Kyusi), is the richest and List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 c ...

Portugal

Monastery of Serra do Pilar The Monastery of Serra do Pilar is a former monastery located in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, on the opposite side of the Douro River from Porto. The monastery is situated on an outcrop overlooking the Dom Luís I Bridge and the historic centre ...

, a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Vila Nova de Gaia Vila Nova de Gaia (; ), or simply Gaia, is a city and a municipality in Porto District in Norte Region, Portugal, Norte Region, Portugal. It is located south of the city of Porto on the other side of the Douro River. The city proper had a populati ...

* Church of the Convent of Christ, former headquarters of the Order of Christ and

Tomar Tomar (), also known in English as Thomar (the ancient name of Tomar), is a Portugal, Portuguese city and a municipality in the historical Ribatejo Portuguese Provinces of Portugal, province, and in Santarém District, Santarém district. The to ...

* Chapel of São Mamede, a 16th-century round chapel in the village of Jana, Sintra * Church of Bom Jesus da Cruz, an 18th-century round church with

greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

interior located in Barcelos, district of Braga * Basilica of the Holy Trinity, a minor basilica in the Sanctuary of Fátima in the city of Fátima

Serbia

* Church of Saint Anthony of Padua at

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

* Church of Saint Basil of Ostrog,

New Belgrade New Belgrade (, ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality of the city of Belgrade. It was a Planned community, planned city and now is the central business district of Serbia and South East Europe. Construction began in 1948 in a previously un ...

* Evangelical church,

Zemun Zemun ( sr-cyrl, Земун, ; ) is a Subdivisions of Belgrade, municipality in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. Zemun was a separate town that was absorbed into Belgrade in 1934. It lies on the right bank of the Danube river, upstream from downtown ...

Spain

*Sant Gregori Taumaturg,

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

*Iglesia San Marcos,

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

Sweden

* Church ruins of Agnestad * Bromma Church * Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church,

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

* Hagby Church * * Munsö Church * Skörstorp Church * Solna Church * * Valleberga Church * * Voxtorp Church

United Kingdom

In England, there are four

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

round churches still in use: Holy Sepulchre, Cambridge;

Temple Church The Temple Church, a royal peculiar in the Church of England, is a church in the Inner Temple, Inner and Middle Temple, Middle Temple, London, Temples located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Knights Templar for their En ...

, London; St John the Baptist Church, Little Maplestead, Essex, and The Holy Sepulchre, Northampton. St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury, is a Georgian round church, and the

Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, officially known as the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King and locally nicknamed "Paddy's Wigwam", is the cathedral, seat of the Archbishop of Liverpool and the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdi ...

was built in the 20th century. The 18th-century

All Saints' Church, Newcastle upon Tyne All Saints' Church is a late 18th-century church in Lower Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, which replaced a medieval church on the same site. All Saints' Church is the only elliptical church building in England, the third tallest re ...

, is now part of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales. In Scotland, the medieval Orphir Round Church near Houton on

Mainland, Orkney The Mainland, also known as Pomona, is the main island of Orkney, Scotland. Both of Orkney's burghs, Kirkwall and Stromness, lie on the island, which is also the heart of Orkney's ferry and air connections. Seventy-five per cent of Orkney's popu ...

, is in ruins. Kilarrow Parish Church at the top of main street in Bowmore is a round church, built in 1767, on the island of

Islay Islay ( ; , ) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll and Bute just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The island's cap ...

, on Scotland's west coast.

Gallery

File:Crkva svetog preobrazenja, Sarajevo.jpg, Church of the Holy Transfiguration,

, Bosnia File:Crkva Sv Vida Rijeka 140807.jpg, Church of Saint Vitus,

, Croatia File:Bjernede Kirke.JPG, Bjernede Church near

Sorø Sorø () is a town in Sorø municipality on the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand in east Denmark with a population of 8,433 (2025).

, Denmark File:Thorsager rundkirke.jpg, Thorsager Church, Thorsager, Denmark File:H3ThorsagerKirkeInnen.jpg, Thorsager church, interior File:Holy Sepulchre Cambridge Photo.jpg, Holy Sepulchre, Cambridge, England File:Untersuhl kirche1.jpg, Untersuhl Church, Germany File:Saint Anne Church - Kallósd, Hungary - 2005.jpg, Saint Anne Church, Kallósd, Hungary File:Roundchurch.jpg, Bowmore Church, Islay, Scotland File:Samostan i crkva sv. Ante Padovanskog, Beograd.jpg, Church of St. Anthony of Padua,

, Serbia File:Cieszyn 9891 crop.JPG, The rotunda of Saint Nicolas, Cieszyn, Poland

References

* Ann Vibeke Knudsen, ''The Old Churches of Bornholm''. Bornholm Museum, Rønne, 1999. .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Round Church Lists of churches