Diocletian windows, also called thermal windows, are large semicircular windows characteristic of the enormous

public bath Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gender, religious affiliation, personal membership, and other cr ...

s (''

thermae In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large Roman Empire, imperial public bath, bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed i ...

'') of

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

. They have been revived on a limited basis by some classical revivalist architects in more modern times.

Description

Diocletian windows are large segmental arched

window A window is an opening in a wall, door, roof, or vehicle that allows the exchange of light and may also allow the passage of sound and sometimes air. Modern windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent materia ...

s (or other openings), which are usually divided into three lights (window compartments) by two vertical

mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...

s. The central compartment is often wider than the two side lights on either side of it.

Names

Diocletian windows are named after the windows found in the

Baths of Diocletian , alternate_name = it, Terme di Diocleziano , image = Baths of Diocletian-Antmoose1.jpg , caption = Baths of Diocletian, with the basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri built in the remains of the baths. , map_dot_ ...

(AD 302) in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. (The Thermae is now the church of

Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels and of the Martyrs ( la, Beatissimae Virginis et omnium Angelorum et Martyrum, it, Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri) is a basilica and titular church in Rome, Italy, built inside the ruined ''frigida ...

.) The variant name, thermal window, also comes from their association with the Thermae of Diocletian.

Influence

This type of window was revived and used in Italy in the 16th century, especially by

Andrea Palladio Andrea Palladio ( ; ; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily Vitruvius, is widely considered to be one of ...

. Palladio and others incorporated an elongated Diocletian window in the form of an arched central light flanked by narrower, square-headed apertures. This combination became known as a

Venetian window A Venetian window (also known as a Serlian window) is a large tripartite window which is a key element in Palladian architecture. Although Sebastiano Serlio (1475–1554) did not invent it, the window features largely in the work of the Italian ar ...

. The Diocletian window was much used in the early 18th century by the English architect Richard Boyle,www.britannica.com- Diocletian Window
/ref> one of the originators of the English Palladian style, and by his followers. Diocletian windows continued to be used occasionally in large public buildings in the various devolutions of

Neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

including the Beaux Arts movement (1880–1920).

Gallery

Penn Station3.jpg, A five-light variant of the thermal window is seen on the old

Penn Station Pennsylvania Station is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad to several of its grand passenger terminals. Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may also refer to Current train stations * Baltimore Penn Station * Pennsylvania Station (Cinc ...

in New York City (ca. 1911). VillaFoscari_2007_07_10_04.jpg,

Villa Foscari Villa Foscari is a patrician villa in Mira, near Venice, northern Italy, designed by the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. It is also known as ''La Malcontenta'' ("The Discontented"), a nickname which—according to a legend—it ...

Venezia - Chiesa delle Zitelle.jpg,

Chiesa delle Zitelle Le Zitelle (officially Santa Maria della Presentazione) is a church in Venice, Italy. It is part of a former complex which gave shelter to young maidens ("zitelle" in Italian) who had no dowry, and is in the easternmost part of the Giudecca isla ...

, Venice Bad Wildbad - Kernerstraße - Palais Thermal 05 ies.jpg, Palais Thermal, Kernerstraße in

Bad Wildbad Bad Wildbad is a town in Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located in the government district (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Karlsruhe and in the district (''Landkreis'') of Calw. Its coordinates are 48° 45' N, 8° 33' E. About 10,1 ...

Villa Pisani Bagnolo wiki 2009-08-08 n22 rect.jpg,

Villa Pisani Villa Pisani at Stra refers to the monumental, late-Baroque rural palace located along the Brenta Canal ( Riviera del Brenta) at Via Doge Pisani 7 near the town of Stra, on the mainland of the Veneto, northern Italy. This villa is one of the lar ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diocletian Window Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Rome Late Roman Empire art Ancient Roman architectural elements Architectural design Architectural history Windows Diocletian

Description

Names

Influence

Gallery

See also

References