Everyone has come across such a word as "rotunda" in a conversation. The meaning of this term is associated with architecture, namely with a certain type of structure. At the same time, there are various types with their own differences. About the meaning of the word "rotunda" and its features in detail in the article.
What is in the dictionaries
So what is a rotunda? To answer this question, you need to refer to the explanatory dictionary, which says that this is a cylindrical building, most often crowned with a semicircular dome. Along its circumference, there are almost always columns with different orders (Doric, Corinthian and Ionic).
To understand what it is - a rotunda - will help familiarity with the etymology of the word. The term comes from the Italian word rotonda, which, in turn, comes from the Latin rotundus, which means "round". Such buildings began to be built in ancient Greece, some of them, in various states, have survived to this day. Later, the style of architecture of the Greeks was adopted in the Roman Empire.
For example, the formrotundas are available at various buildings. These are the ancient Greek monopters and tholos, the ancient Roman temple Pantheon, located in the capital of Italy, mausoleums, some Christian churches of the Renaissance, Romanesque and classicism, as well as park arbors and pavilions for recreation.
In the architecture of Ancient Russia
As mentioned earlier, the rotunda is the form of construction that appeared in Ancient Greece, however, in Smolensk, the remains of such a building with a diameter of 18 m were found. -13 centuries. It is known that it was built by special order of German merchants who lived on the territory of Smolensk.
Temples that had the described form were built mainly on the territory of Southern Russia - in Galich, Kyiv, Lvov, Przemysl and Vladimir-Volynsky. It should be said that in some places the foundations and ruins of rotunda churches in Chernikhovtsy, Stolpye and Uzhgorod remained.
At the beginning of the 14th century, architects from Italy were often invited to Moscow to build churches. It is known that, like the Cathedral of the Vysokopetrovsky Monastery (16th century), which has survived to this day, the Italians built other cloisters and temples that had the shape of a rotunda.
Architecture of the 18th-20th centuries
Continuing to consider the definition of "rotunda", we should talk about the architecture that spread after the 18th century. In St. Petersburg, the Trinity Church, built at the end of the 18th century, has been preserved. He hasthe classical form of a rotunda with a round dome and columns around the building itself. The church is currently in excellent condition and is operational.
It should be said that many architects liked this architectural form of the building, thanks to which they designed their buildings, focusing on it. So, for example, in Moscow, ground pavilions of several metro stations have this form - Rizhskaya, Park Kultury, Alekseevskaya and others.
In many cities of Russia there are architectural monuments - rotundas located in parks, squares and other places of recreation. There is a monument in Voronezh that tells about the horrors of the Great Patriotic War - these are the remains of the bombed out lobby of the regional children's hospital.
Other values
Answering the question about what it is - a rotunda, it is necessary to tell about other meanings of this term. This is not only an architectural structure, but also the name of a commune in Italy, located in the region with the poetic name of Basilicata. It has an area of 42 km2, and about 4 thousand people live on its territory. The municipality is located among beautiful mountain scenery, attracting a large number of tourists every year.
Rotonda West is located in the US state of Florida. This is the so-called statistically isolated area (administrative unit). Its total area is about 30 km2, and the number of inhabitants is more than 7 thousand people.
Finishing the study of what it is - a rotunda, you need to pay attention to the dance that bore this name. It was distributed in the Middle Ages on the territory of modern Europe and was a round dance of men and women performing simple pas.
The name "rotunda" is worn by an unusual women's cape-cloak, which received it due to its semicircular shape. As you can see, this term has several meanings, but the most common is architectural. Rotunda buildings are admired for their beauty, despite the fact that this form was invented several thousand years ago.
