A rotunda (from Latin rotundus) is any building with a circular ground plan, and sometimes covered by a dome. It may also refer to a round room within a building (a famous example being the one below the dome of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.). The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A band rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome.
A great number of parochial churches were built in this form in the 9th to 11th centuries CE in Central Europe. These round churches can be found in great number in Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Croatia (particularly Dalmatia) Austria, Bavaria, Germany, and the Czech Republic. 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 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.
Rotunda svätého Juraja (Romanesque Rotunda of St.George in Skalica, Slovakia from 11th century)
Several types of rotundas are found in the Carpathian Basin, within the former boundaries of Kingdom of Hungary. Building of rotundas in Carpathian basin started already in 9th century in Great Moravia. According to the research and radiocarbon dating 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.[1][2] 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 Hungary or in Bíňa and Šivetice in Slovakia. Rotunda in Šivetice is the biggest one in Central Europe, with diameter of 11 m.[3] In many places the ancient foundations have been excavated and conserved. The village church of Sárospatak 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, Kiszombor in Hungary, at Horjany in Ukraine and several places in Armenia (Aragatz, Bagaran, Bagnayr, Botshor, Kiagmis Alti).
Sv. Margity Antiochijskej - Biggest rotunda in Central Europe. Šivetice, Slovakia
Foundations of Great Moravian rotunda in Kostolec hillfort. Ducové, Slovakia
Rotunda in the Caucasus
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2011)
There is an interesting connection between Central European and Caucasian rotundas of the 9th to 11th centuries AD. Several Armenian built rotunda churches have sixfold arched central apsis, i.e. at Aragatz, Bagaran, Bagnayr, Botshor, Kiagmis Alti in Armenia. 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.
Rotunda in Asia
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2011)
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.
^Dorica, Jozef (2018-01-05). "Rotunda sv. Juraja je zrejme najstaršou zachovanou sakrálnou stavbou v strednej Európe". Denník N (in Slovak). Retrieved 2020-04-05.
^Podolinskí, Alexandra a Štefan. "Nitrianska Blatnica". apsida.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2020-04-05.
^"Šivetice, Rotunda sv. Margity Antiochijskej – Gotická cesta" (in Slovak). Retrieved 2020-04-05.
^. vanderbilt.edu. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27.
Vera, Gervers-Molnár (1972): A középkori Magyarország rotundái. (Rotunda in the Medieval Hungary). Akadémiai, Budapest
József, Csemegi (1949): A tarnaszentmáriai templom hajójának stíluskritikai vizsgálata. (Studies on the Nave of the Church at Tarnaszentmária.) in: Antiquitas Hungarica III (1949), 92-107.
Osterlar Church in Danmark Osterlar Church [sv]
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rotundas.
May 04, 2023
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This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations August 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message A rotunda from Latin rotundus is any building with a circular ground plan and sometimes covered by a dome It may also refer to a round room within a building a famous example being the one below the dome of the United States Capitol in Washington D C The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda A band rotunda is a circular bandstand usually with a dome The Rotunda at the University of Virginia famously designed by the third US president Thomas Jefferson Contents 1 Rotunda in Central Europe 1 1 Rotunda in the Carpathian Basin 2 Rotunda in the Caucasus 3 Rotunda in Asia 4 Notable rotundas 4 1 Religious buildings 4 2 Buildings for entertainment 4 3 Residential buildings 4 4 Buildings for learning 4 5 Government buildings 4 6 Commercial buildings 5 See also 6 References 6 1 Further reading 7 External linksRotunda in Central Europe EditA great number of parochial churches were built in this form in the 9th to 11th centuries CE in Central Europe These round churches can be found in great number in Hungary Poland Slovakia Croatia particularly Dalmatia Austria Bavaria Germany and the Czech Republic 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 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 famous Rotunda church in Thessaloniki Greece The Baptistery at the Piazza dei Miracoli Pisa Italy The most well known Danish rotunda is the village parochial church at Osterlars Rotunda in Stary Plzenec Old Pilsen near Pilsen Czech Republic from the 10th centuryRotunda in the Carpathian Basin Edit Rotunda svateho Juraja Romanesque Rotunda of St George in Skalica Slovakia from 11th century Several types of rotundas are found in the Carpathian Basin within the former boundaries of Kingdom of Hungary Building of rotundas in Carpathian basin started already in 9th century in Great Moravia According to the research and radiocarbon dating 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 1 2 Similar rotunda was standing in hillfort Kostolec in Ducove 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 Nagytotlak Kallosd and Kissikator in Hungary or in Bina and Sivetice in Slovakia Rotunda in Sivetice is the biggest one in Central Europe with diameter of 11 m 3 In many places the ancient foundations have been excavated and conserved The village church of Sarospatak 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 Szentpal Hidegseg Vagkeresztur Ipolykiskeszi Herencseny Szalonna Such semi circle apses are preserved all over the Carpathian Basin Rotundas of six apses a most interesting form are found at Karcsa Kiszombor in Hungary at Horjany in Ukraine and several places in Armenia Aragatz Bagaran Bagnayr Botshor Kiagmis Alti Romanesque village church in Selo Slovenia Rotunda Osku Hungary Rotunda Kiszombor Hungary Rotunda rebuilt into bigger church Szalonna Hungary Great Moravian rotunda of St George Nitrianska Blatnica Slovakia Sv Margity Antiochijskej Biggest rotunda in Central Europe Sivetice Slovakia Foundations of Great Moravian rotunda in Kostolec hillfort Ducove SlovakiaRotunda in the Caucasus EditThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it January 2011 There is an interesting connection between Central European and Caucasian rotundas of the 9th to 11th centuries AD Several Armenian built rotunda churches have sixfold arched central apsis i e at Aragatz Bagaran Bagnayr Botshor Kiagmis Alti in Armenia 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 Rotunda in Asia EditThis section needs expansion You can help by adding to it September 2011 Temple of Heaven construction completed on 1420 during Yongle Emperor who also constructed Forbidden City of China Fujian Tulou is a traditional rural dwellings of the Hakka in Fujian region of China They are built between the 12th and the 20th centuries Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests the largest building in the Temple of Heaven Tianluokeng tulou cluster Sanchi Stupa in India a Buddhist pilgrimage site 4 concentric ring architecture of Chengqi louNotable rotundas Edit Beehive Wellington New Zealand Interior of the rotunda at New York City s Steinway Hall with an Art Case Piano by artist Mia LaBerge in the foreground The Rotunda office and Residential building in Birmingham England is an example of modern rotunda buildings The St George Rotunda 4th century and some remains of Serdica can be seen in the foreground Religious buildings Edit Baptistery at the Piazza dei Miracoli Pisa Italy Pantheon Rome Italy originally built as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets in the state religion of Ancient Rome now used as a basilica informally named Santa Maria della Rotonda Santo Stefano Rotondo Rome The Church of the Rotonda in Thessaloniki built as the Tomb of Galerius in 306 AD St George Rotunda in Sofia Bulgaria a 4th century Early Christian church St George Cathedral Church at Zvartnots Armenia St Martin s Rotunda in Vysehrad Castle Prague Czech Republic Rotunda of St Marija Assunta in Mosta Malta Temple Church in London The Ducal Rotunda of the Virgin Mary and St Catherine in Znojmo Czech Republic Chausathi Yogini temples in India at Hirapur Jabalpur and Morena Baha i House of Worship in Willmette Illinois US The Rotunda in Aldershot in the UK built in 1876 and demolished in the 1980sBuildings for entertainment Edit Ranelagh Gardens in London built in the 1740s and demolished in 1805 It was painted by Canaletto Pantheon London opened 1772 demolished in 1937 The leisure centre at Fort Regent in 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 in London originally built in 1847 as a turntable engine shed it was used as a gin store till being converted into a theatre in the 1960s Royal Albert Hall in London England 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 1922Residential buildings Edit Villa Capra La Rotonda by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio in Vicenza Italy Ickworth House in Suffolk England Mereworth Castle in Kent England The Rotunda in Birmingham England built as an office building in 1964 The Rotunda Building Norfolk Virginia rebuilt in 2007 Buildings for learning Edit The Radcliffe Camera Oxford completed in 1748 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 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 Umea University Umea built in 1972 Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal built in 1933 Science Museum of Virginia built in 1919 Vanderbilt University s Wyatt Center 4 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 5 built in 1839 reconstructed in 2004Government buildings Edit San Francisco City Hall The Beehive the executive wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings California State Capitol Rotunda 6 in Sacramento California Library of Parliament a library for Canadian Parliamentarians The only component of the Centre Block of Parliament to survive the 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 Rotunda 7 Vermont State CapitolCommercial buildings Edit Capitol Records Building in Hollywood Los Angeles CaliforniaSee also EditRotunda disambiguation Round church TholosReferences Edit Dorica Jozef 2018 01 05 Rotunda sv Juraja je zrejme najstarsou zachovanou sakralnou stavbou v strednej Europe Dennik N in Slovak Retrieved 2020 04 05 Podolinski Alexandra a Stefan Nitrianska Blatnica apsida sk in Slovak Retrieved 2020 04 05 Sivetice Rotunda sv Margity Antiochijskej Goticka cesta in Slovak Retrieved 2020 04 05 Sitemason Outage vanderbilt edu Archived from the original on 2011 09 27 Ruffner Hall longwood edu California California State Parks State of California State Capitol Museum CA State Parks Retrieved 3 April 2018 http tours wisconsin gov pub Content aspx p Photo Tour Rotunda Further reading Edit Vera Gervers Molnar 1972 A kozepkori Magyarorszag rotundai Rotunda in the Medieval Hungary Akademiai Budapest Jozsef Csemegi 1949 A tarnaszentmariai templom hajojanak stiluskritikai vizsgalata Studies on the Nave of the Church at Tarnaszentmaria in Antiquitas Hungarica III 1949 92 107 Osterlar Church in Danmark Osterlar Church sv External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rotundas Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rotunda architecture amp oldid 1150364025, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
