Round church

Østerlars Round Church, Bornholm, Denmark

A round church is a special type of church construction, having a completely circular plan. Round churches are often found in Sweden and Denmark (notably the island Bornholm) and were popular church constructions in Scandinavia in the 11th and early 12th centuries.

Round churches should not be confused with the older types of round-tower church constructions. Churches with many-sided polygonal shapes (such as the 16-sided example in Richmond, Vermont, USA) are colloquially referred to as round as well.

Round churches by country

Bosnia

Church of the Holy Transfiguration in Sarajevo.

Croatia

Church of Saint Vitus in Rijeka.

Denmark

Nyker Church, Nylars Church, Saint Ols Church and Østerlars Church, Bornholm; Bjernede Church, Zealand; Horne Church, Funen (with later gothic extensions), and Thorsager Church, Jutland.

England

There are four medieval round churches still in use in England, Holy Sepulchre, Cambridge; Temple Church, London; St. John the Baptist, Little Maplestead, Essex, and The Holy Sepulchre, Northampton. St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury is a Georgian round church. The 19th-century All Saints' Church, Newcastle upon Tyne is redundant and used for other purposes.

Germany

Liebfrauenkirche in Trier. St. Ludwig in Darmstadt, Hessen. There is also a round church in Untersuhl, Thuringia.

Hungary

Saint Anne Church in Kallósd, Roman Catholic Church in Kiszombor, Rotunda in Öskü, St. Jacob rotunda in Ják, Neoclassical church in Balatonfüred (19th century).