A monopteros is a circular colonnade that supports a roof but encloses no walls or interior chamber, distinguishing it from a tholos, which is fully walled. The name comes from the Ancient Greek for alone and wing, and in Greek and Roman practice a monopteros sheltered a cult image, functioning much like a baldachin; the Monument of Lysicrates in Athens and the Temple of Roma and Augustus on the Athenian Acropolis are ancient examples. The form later became a fashionable garden feature in English and French landscape gardens, often built over a well in a park or spa. Most monopteroi are circular rotundas, though some take square or polygonal plans, such as the hexagonal Muses' Temple at Tiefurt House.
Facts
Classification
Standing Status Building TypeCircular colonnade supporting a roof, without walls 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia: Monopteros
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A monopteros (Ancient Greek: ὁ μονόπτερος, from: μόνος, 'only, single, alone', and τὸ πτερόν, 'wing'), also called a monopteron or cyclostyle, is a circular colonnade supporting a roof but without any walls.
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However, many monopteroi have square or polygonal plans, and these 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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