Monopteral

A monopteros (Ancient Greek: , from the Polytonic: μόνος, 'only, single, alone', and , 'wing') is a circular colonnade supporting a roof but without any walls. Unlike a tholos (in its wider sense as a circular building), it does not have walls making a cella or room inside. In Greek and especially Roman antiquity the term could also be used for a tholos. In ancient times, monopteroi (Ancient Greek: ) served '' inter alia'' as a form of baldachin for a cult image. An example of this is the Monument of Lysicrates in Athens, albeit the spaces between the columns were walled in, even in ancient times. The Temple of Rome and Augustus on the Athenian Acropolis is a monopteros from Roman times with open spaces between the columns. Cyriacus of Ancona, a 15th-century traveller, handed down his architrave inscription: ''Ad praefatae Palladis Templi vestibulum''.

A monopteros (or monopteron) is also known as cyclostyle (from the Greek words for "circle" and "column"). "A structure composed of a circular range of columns without a core" The adjectives are ''monopteral'' and ''cyclostylar''.

In Baroque and Classical architecture, a monopteros as a pavilion, often given a classical name such as a "muses' temple" is a popular garden feature in English and French gardens. The monopteros also occurs in German parks, as in the English Garden in Munich and in Hayns Park in Hamburg-Eppendorf. Many wells in parks and spa centres have the appearance of a monopteros. Many monopteroi have staffage structures like a porticus, placed in front of the monopteros. These also have only a decorative function, because they are not needed in order to provide an entrance to a temple that is open on all sides.

Many monopteroi are described as rotundas due to their circular floor plan. The tholos also goes by that name. However, many monopteroi have square or polygonal plans, that would not be described as rotundas. An example is the Muses' Temple with the muse, Polyhymnia, in the grounds of Tiefurt House, that has a hexagonal floor plan.

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Examples

File:Bayreuth-Hofgartenpavillon-2.jpg, The pavilion in the Court Garden of the New Palace, Bayreuth
File:Munich, 2013 (10383018573).jpg, The monopteros in the English Garden, Munich
File:Apollotempel Nymphenburg Muenchen-1.jpg, The Apollo Temple in the Nymphenburg Castle Park, Munich
File:SchlossLinderhof Venustempel.JPG, The Venus Temple at the Linderhof Palace, Bavaria, Germany
File:Leibniztempel Hannover.jpg, The Leibniz Temple in the Georgengarten, Hanover
File:Vilbeltrinkbrunnen retouched.jpg, Well temple in the spa park at Bad Vilbel
File:Eutin Monopteros.jpg, Monopteros in the castle park at Eutin Castle (by C.F. Hansen, 1796)
File:Wörlitz Venustempel im Winter 2.jpg, Venus Temple in the Wörlitzer Park
File:Fruestueckspavillon-Kassel-I.JPG, The Breakfast Pavilion (''Frühstückspavillon'') in Kassel
File:Siege Bell Memorial monument.jpg, The Siege Bell Memorial in Valletta

See also

* Belvedere (structure)
* Eyecatchers
*Gazebo
* Aedicule: often not free-standing
* Baldachin (canopy)
* Ciborium (canopy)

References

Literature

* Wolfgang Binder: ''Der Roma-Augustus Monopteros auf der Akropolis in Athen und sein typologischer Ort''. Karlsruhe 1969.
* Ingrid Weibezahn: ''Geschichte und Funktion des Monopteros. Untersuchungen zu einem Gebäudetyp des Spätbarock und des Klassizismus''. Hildesheim 1975, . Online

(Google Books)

External links

Wiesbaden monopteros - 360° panoramaPhotographs and historical background to the Leibniz Temple in Hanover

{{Garden features

Columns and entablature
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Rotundas (architecture)
Buildings and structures by shape
Garden features