A monopteros (Ancient Greek: , from the Polytonic: μόνος, 'only, single, alone', and , 'wing') is a circular

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or cur ...

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 Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

and especially

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

antiquity the term could also be used for a tholos. In ancient times, monopteroi (Ancient Greek: ) served '' inter alia'' as a form of

baldachin A baldachin, or baldaquin (from it, baldacchino), is a canopy of state typically placed over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent architectural feature, particularly over hi ...

for a cult image. An example of this is the Monument of Lysicrates in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

, 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 In classical architecture, an architrave (; from it, architrave "chief beam", also called an epistyle; from Greek ἐπίστυλον ''epistylon'' "door frame") is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of columns. The term can a ...

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 The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...

and

Classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the works of the Roman architect ...

, a monopteros as a pavilion, often given a classical name such as a "

muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in ...

s' temple" is a popular

garden feature Garden features are physical elements, both natural and manmade, used in garden design. *Artificial waterfall * Avenue *Aviary *Bog garden *Borrowed scenery *Bosquet * Broderie *Belvedere *Chashitsu (tea house) * Chōzubachi (basin) * Deck * Di ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

gardens. The monopteros also occurs in German parks, as in the English Garden in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

and in Hayns Park in Hamburg-Eppendorf. Many

well A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

s in

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. ...

s and spa centres have the appearance of a monopteros. Many monopteroi have

staffage In painting, staffage () are the human and animal figures depicted in a scene, especially a landscape, that are not the primary subject matter of the work. Typically they are small, and there to add an indication of scale and add interest. Before ...

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 In architecture and building engineering, a floor plan is a technical drawing to scale, showing a view from above, of the relationships between rooms, spaces, traffic patterns, and other physical features at one level of a structure. Dimensio ...

. 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 Polyhymnia (; el, Πολυύμνια, lit=the one of many hymns), alternatively Polymnia (Πολύμνια), was, in Greek mythology, the Muse of sacred poetry, sacred hymn, dance and eloquence, as well as agriculture and pantomime. Etymology ...

, in the grounds of Tiefurt House, that has a hexagonal floor plan. __NOTOC__

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,

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 Linderhof Palace (german: Schloss Linderhof) is a Schloss in Germany, in southwest Bavaria near the village of Ettal. It is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria and the only one which he lived to see completed. D ...

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

, Germany File:Leibniztempel Hannover.jpg, The Leibniz Temple in the Georgengarten,

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

File:Vilbeltrinkbrunnen retouched.jpg, Well temple in the spa park at

Bad Vilbel Bad Vilbel () is a spa town in Hesse (Hessen), Germany, famous for its many mineral water springs. Bad Vilbel is the largest town in the Wetteraukreis district and part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area with its city center being located 8& ...

File:Eutin Monopteros.jpg, Monopteros in the castle park at

Eutin Castle Eutin Castle (german: Eutiner Schloss) in Eutin in the north German district of Ostholstein is the cultural centre and nucleus of the town. Taken together, this castle, Gottorf Castle and Glücksburg Castle, form the most important group of co ...

(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 Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 ...

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 ! Rotundas (architecture) Buildings and structures by shape Garden features

Examples

See also

References

Literature

External links