List of Roman domes

The Pantheon in Rome. Largest dome in the world for more than 1,300 years

Oculus of the Pantheon.

This is a list of Roman domes. The Romans were the first builders in the history of architecture to realize the potential of domes for the creation of large and well-defined interior spaces.^[1] Domes were introduced in a number of Roman building types such as temples, thermae, palaces, mausolea and later also churches. Half-domes also became a favoured architectural element and were adopted as apses in Christian sacred architecture.

Monumental domes began to appear in the 1st century BC in Rome and the provinces around the Mediterranean Sea. Along with vaults, they gradually replaced the traditional post and lintel construction which makes use of the column and architrave. The construction of domes was greatly facilitated by the invention of concrete, a process which has been termed the Roman Architectural Revolution.^[2] Their enormous dimensions remained unsurpassed until the introduction of structural steel frames in the late 19th century (see List of the world's largest domes).^[1]^[3]^[4]

Domes

All diameters are clear span in m; for polygonal domes applies to the in-circle diameter. Main source is Jürgen Rasch's study of Roman domes (1985).

Diameter ⌀	Name, Part	Location	Built	Shape of dome, Ground plan	Material, Roof construction	Shell thickness (ST) ST to ⌀	Curtain wall thickness (CWT) CWT to ⌀	Diameter Oculus (DO) DO to ⌀	Comments/ Other characteristics
4345 !~ 43.45 ^[5]	Pantheon	Rome	~ 27-25 BC	Rotunda	Concrete, Lead plate roofing	~ 1.35 ~ 1:32	~ 5.93 ~ 1:7.3	~ 8.95 ~ 1:4.9	Largest dome of the world until 1881; largest unreinforced solid concrete dome in the world till present;^[6] archetype of Western dome construction to this day^[3]^[7]
3820 !~ 38.20 ^[8]	Temple of Apollo !"Temple of Apollo"	Lake Avernus	~ 1st c.
3508 !~ 35.08 ^[4]	Baths of Caracalla, Caldarium	Rome	~ 3rd c.		Amphoras				Eight pillars; largest dome of the world out of ceramic hollowware
2950 !~ 29.50 ^[9]	Temple of Diana !"Temple of Diana"	Baiae	~ 2nd c.			~ 1.20 ~ 1:25	~ 5,70 ^[10] ~ 1:5.2
2630 !~ 26.30 ^[9]	Temple of Venus !"Temple of Venus"	Baiae	~ 2nd c.			~ -	~ 2.90 ^[11] ~ 1:9.1		Outer wall pillars
2504 !~ 25.04 ^[12]	Mausoleum of Maxentius	Rome	~ 4th c.	Rotunda
2500 !~ 25.00 ^[13]	Baths of Agrippa, 'Arco della Ciambella'	Rome	0000 !~ 1st c. BC	Rotunda					First Thermae in Rome with central dome;^[13] largest dome of the world
2415 !~ 24.15 ^[9]	Rotunda of St. George	Thessaloniki	~ 4th c.		Brick	~ 1 ~ 1:24	~ 6.00 ~ 1:4		Largest brick dome of the world
2385 !~ 23.85 ^[9]	Sanctuary of Asclepius	Pergamon	~ 2nd c.		Brick	~ -	~ 3.35 ~ 1:7.1		Earliest monumental brick dome;^[14] largest brick dome of the world
2370 !~ 23.70 to ~ 19.80 ^[15]	St. Gereon's Basilica	Cologne	~ 4th c.	Oval with eight niches and apse					Later medieval structure with Roman building fabric largest occidental dome between Hagia Sophia and Florence Cathedral^[16]
2365 !~ 23.65 ^[9]	Temple of Minerva Medica (nymphaeum) !"Temple of Minerva Medica"	Rome	~ 4th c.	Decagon	Concrete with brick ribs	~ 0.56 ~ 1:42	~ 2.60 ^[11] ~ 1:9.1		Outer wall pillars
2200 !~ 22.00 ^[17]	Baths of Antoninus	Carthage	~ 2nd c.	Polygon					Seven domes with diameters between 17 and 22 m^[17]
2200 !~ 22.00 ^[18]	Rotunda at the Hippodrome	Constantinople	~ 5th c.	Rotunda with ten niches
2200 !~ 22.00 ^[19]	Baths of Diocletian, San Bernardo	Rome	~ 300		Concrete with brick ribs
2165 !~ 21.65 or ~ 21.25 ^[20]^[21]	Baths of Diocletian, 'Planetarium'	Rome	~ 300	Umbrella dome, Octagon	Concrete with inner brick covering			~ 4.20 ~ 1:5.1
2155 !~ 21.55 ^[21]	Temple of Mercury !"Temple of Mercury"	Baiae	0000 !~ 1st c. BC		Concrete^[22]			~ 3.65 ~ 1:5.9	Earliest monumental dome;^[23] largest dome of the world
2018 !~ 20.18 ^[9]	Mausoleum of Helena	Rome	~ 4th c.		Ceramic amphora incorporated into dome's base	~ 0.90 ~ 1:22	~ 2.40 ~ 1:8.4
1980 !~ 19.80 ^[20]	Baths of Caracalla, Side building	Rome	~ 3rd c.	Octagon					Preliminary form of the pendentive dome^[20]
1940 !~ 19.40 ^[20]	Baths of Bacucco	Viterbo !Near Viterbo	~ 4th c.	Umbrella dome, Octagon
1930 !~ 19.30 ^[21]	Baths of Diocletian, Tepidarium	Rome	~ 300					~ 3.68 ~ 1:5.2
1838 !~ 18.38 ^[9]	Pantheon !Pantheon	Ostia	~ 3rd c.			~ -	~ 1.98 ~ 1:9.3
1800 !~ 18.00 ^[15]	Church of Euphemia	Constantinople	~ 5th c.	Hexagon
1675 !~ 16.75 ^[24]	Hadrian's Villa, 'Serapeum'	Tivoli	~ 2nd c.	Umbrella dome	Concrete				Hollow space system
1645 !~ 16.45 ^[17]	Imperial Baths, Tepidarium	Trier	~ 4th c.		Concrete
1570 !~ 15.70 ^[17]	Basilica of San Vitale	Ravenna	~ 6th c.		Clay pipe, Wooden roof construction
1560 !~ 15.60 ^[21]	Nymphaeum in Albano Laziale	?	~ 1st c.		Concrete			~ 2.08 ~ 1:7.6	Earliest evidence for hollow spaces at dome's base for reduction in weight^[25]
1500 !~ 15.00 to ~ 13.00 ^[14]	Southern baths	Bostra	~ 3rd-4th c.	Octagon	Concrete
1500 !~ 15.00 ^[15]	Western baths	Gerasa	~ 2nd c.	Square	Voussoir				One of the earliest stone domes with square plan;^[15] largest stone dome of the world
1470 !~ 14.70 ^[9]	Heroon of Romulus !"Heroon of Romulus" at the Roman Forum	Rome	~ 4th c.		Lead plate roofing	~ 0.90 ~ 1:16	~ 1.80 ~ 1:8.2	~ 3,70 ~ 1:4.0
1450 !~ 14.50 ^[9]	Temple of Portunus !"Temple of Portunus"	Porto	~ 3rd c.		Concrete with inner brick covering	~ -	~ 2.20 ~ 1:6.6
1371 !~ 13.71 ^[9]	Mausoleum of Tor de' Schiavi	Via Prenestina	~ 4th c.			~ 0.60 ~ 1:23	~ 2.60 ~ 1:5.3		Four openings at dome's base
1348 !~ 13.48 ^[23]	Domus Aurea	Rome	~ 1st c.	Cloister vault, Octagon	Concrete			~ 5.99 ~ 1:2.3	First dome with octagonal plan; earliest in palace architecture^[23]
1335 !~ 13.35 ^[9]	Mausoleum of Diocletian	Split	~ 300		Brick, Tiled roof	~ 0.68 ~ 1:20	~ 3.40 ^[10] ~ 1:3.9		Double-walled dome^[12]
1290 !~ 12.90 ^[12]	Chapel of Saint Aquilino	Milan	~ 4th c.		Brick
1233 !~ 12.33 ^[26]	Tempio della Tosse !"Tempio della Tosse"	Tivoli	~ 4th c.		Concrete with brick ribs	~ 1.30 ~ 1:9	~ 2.08 ~ 1:5.9	~ 2.10 ~ 1:5.9
1200 !~ 12.00 ^[19]	Hadrian's Villa, Summer Triclinium (Exedra)	Tivoli	~ 2nd c.		Concrete with inner brick covering
1200 !~ 12.00 ^[17]	Baths of Aquae Flavianae	El Hammam	~ 3rd c.		Clay pipes				Largest dome of the world out of ceramic hollowware
1200 !~ 12.00 ^[15]	Church of Hodegetria	Constantinople	~ 5th c.	Hexagon
1200 !~ 12.00 ^[15]	Skeuophylakion	Constantinople	~ 5th c.	Dodecagon
1190 !~ 11.90 ^[9]	Baptistery	Nocera Superiore Campania	~ 6th c.						Eight rectangular dome windows
1190 !~ 11.90 ^[27]	Hadrian's Villa, 'Heliocaminus'	Tivoli	~ 2nd c.						Double-walled dome with spacing for ceiling heating^[27]
1150 !~ 11.50 ^[28]	Red Basilica !"Red Basilica"	Pergamon	~ 2nd c.		Brick				Two Rotunda; largest brick dome of the world
1150 !~ 11.50 ^[26]	Santa Costanza	Rome	~ 4th c.		Concrete with brick ribs, Tiled roof directly resting on dome shell	~ 0.70 ~ 1:16	~ 1.45 ~ 1:7.9		Tambour^[29]
1150 !~ 11.50 ^[15]	Mor Gabriel Monastery	Tur Abdin	~ 6th c.		Brick			~ yes
1147 !~ 11.47 ^[26]	Praetorium	Cologne	~ 4th c.	Octagon		~ -	~ 2.00 ^[10] ~ 1:5.7
1110 !~ 11.10 ^[26]	Gordian's Villa	Rome, Via Prenestina	~ 3rd c.	Octagon		~ -	~ 1.35 ^[10] ~ 1:8.2		Preliminary form of the pendentive dome;^[20] eight openings at dome's base
1100 !~ 11.00 ^[4]	Therme d’Allance	?	~ ?
1080 !~ 10.80 ^[26]	Mausoleum of Gallien	Rome, Via Appia	~ 3rd c.	Rotunda with six niches		~ -	~ 1.60 ~ 1:6.8
1070 !~ 10.70 ^[26]	Mausoleum of Centocelle !"Mausoleum of Centocelle"	Centcelles, near Tarragona	~ 4th c.		Brick and stone	~ 0.40 ~ 1:27	~ 1.90 ~ 1:5.6
1040 !~ 10.40 to 1~ 9.40 ^[24]	Hadrian's Villa, small baths	Tivoli	~ 2nd c.	Elliptical dome with wavelike rim
1000 !~ 10.00 ^[24]	Gordian's Villa, Hall	Via Prenestina	~ 2nd c.
1000 !~ 10.00 ^[25]	Villa delle Vignacce !"Villa delle Vignacce"	Via Latina	~ 2nd c.		Ceramic amphora at dome's base				Earliest known use of amphora at dome's base^[25]
0985 !~ 19.85 ^[17]	Cathedral, Baptistery	Ravenna	~ 5th c.
0950 !1~ 9.50 ^[20]	Hadrian's Villa, Piazza d'Oro (vestibule)	Tivoli	~ 2nd c.	Umbrella dome				~ 1,90 ~ 1:5.0
0950 !1~ 9.50 ^[18]	Praetextat catacomb, 'Calventier tomb'	Rome	~ 3rd c.	Rotunda with six niches
0900 !1~ 9.00 ^[14]	Capito Thermae, Laconicum	Miletus	~ 1st c.		Concrete
0900 !1~ 9.00 ^[15]	Small Roundtemple	Baalbek	~ 3rd c.
0850 !1~ 8.50 ^[18]	Domus Augustana	Rome	~ 1st c.	Cloister vault, Octagon					One of the earliest cloister vaults with octagonal curtain walls^[18]
0810 !~ 18.10 ^[26]	Torraccio del Palombaro !"Torraccio del Palombaro"	Rome, Via Appia	~ 4th c.			~ 0.90 ~ 1:9	~ 2,30 ~ 1:3.5	~ 1.50 ~ 1:5.4
0770 !1~ 7.70 ^[20]	Baths of Maxentius	Rome	~ 4th c.	Umbrella dome, Octagon
0760 !~ 17.60 ^[4]	Domus Flavia	Rome	~ 1st c.
0760 !1~ 7.60 to 1~ 6.20 ^[18]	Hadrian's Villa, 'Heliocaminus'	?	~ 2nd c.	Cloister vault, Uneven octagon
0680 !1~ 6.80 ^[15]	Nymphaeum	Riza, Epirus	~ 250-350	Dodecagon
0675 !1~ 6.75 ^[20]	Temple of Venus !"Temple of Venus", Annex building	Baiae	~ 2nd c.	Flat umbrella dome, Octagon
0665 !~ 16.65 ^[21]	Hall of Thermae Pisa	?	~ 2nd c.	Cloister vault with eight windows, Octagon				~ 2.00 ~ 1:3.3
0652 !~ 16.52 ^[23]	Stabian Thermae, Laconicum	Pompeii	0000 !~ 1st c. BC	Cone vault (early form of the dome)	Concrete			~ yes	Oldest known concrete domes^[23]
0600 !1~ 6.00 ^[17]	Hunting Thermae	Leptis Magna	~ 200	Cloister vault with eight windows
0586 !~ 15.86 ^[17]	Arch of Marcus Aurelius	Tripoli	~ ?	Cloister vault	Voussoir
0570 !1~ 5.70 ^[9]	Water Castellum	Pompeii	0010 !~30 BC- ~14 AD	Flat dome
0540 !~ 15.40 ^[20]	Octagon near 'Temple of Mercury'	Baiae	~ 2nd c.	Umbrella dome, Octagon
0540 !1~ 5.40 ^[12]	San Vitale, Stair towers	Ravenna	~ 6th c.		Brick
0520 !~ 15.20 ^[15]	Sedia del Diavolo !"Sedia del Diavolo", Tomb	Rome, Via Nomentana	~ 2nd c.	Square
0470 !1~ 4.70 ^[18]	Tabularium	Rome	0000 !~ 1st c. BC	Cloister vault, Square					Earliest cloister vault^[15]
0441 !~ 14.41 ^[24]	Temple of Venus !"Temple of Venus", Annex building	Baiae	~ 2nd c.	Umbrella dome above circular ground plan				~ 0.59 ~ 1:7.5
0440 !1~ 4.40 ^[30]	Mausoleum of Galla Placidia !Mausoleum of Galla Placidia	Ravenna	~ 5th c.		Tiled roof
0400 !1~ 4.00 ^[9]	Tomb at Casal de' Pazzi	Rome, Via Nomentana	~ 2nd c.	In-circle dome, Square	Concrete				Preform of pendentive dome;^[9] hollow space system
0165 !~ 11.65 ^[23]	Villa of the Mysteries !"Villa of the Mysteries", Laconicum	Pompeii	0000 !~ 1st c. BC	Cone vault (early form of the dome)	Brick and clay (upper calotte)				Concrete wall shell^[31]
0000 !~ ? ^[18]	Mausoleum of Constantine at the Church of the Holy Apostles	Constantinople	~ 4th c.	Presumably Rotunda with twelve niches

Half-domes

Diameter ⌀	Name, Part	Location	Built	Material, Roof construction	Comments/ Other characteristics
3000 !~ 30.00 ^[5]	Baths of Trajan	Rome	~ 0070 !?		Largest dome(s) of the world
2200 !~ 22.00 ^[5]	Baths of Diocletian, Two apse halls	Rome	0040 !~ 300
1850 !~ 18.50 ^[5]	Trajan's Forum	Rome	~ 0080 !?
1580 !~ 15.80 ^[17]	Santi Cosma e Damiano, Apse	Rome	~ 0060 !6th c.
1100 !~ 11.00 ^[14]	Nymphaeum	Jerash	~ 0020 !2nd c.	Concrete
0960 !1~ 9.60 ^[14]	Basilica, Apse	Bostra	0030 !~ 3rd c.	Concrete, inside covered with ashlar
0800 !1~ 8.00 ^[14]	Cathedral, Annex rooms	Bostra	~ 0040 !6th c.	Concrete
0570 !1~ 5.70 ^[12]	Pantheon, Front niches	Rome	~ 0010 !2nd c.

References

1 2 Rasch 1985, p. 117
↑ Lechtman & Hobbs 1986
1 2 Mark & Hutchinson 1986, p. 24
1 2 3 4 Heinle & Schlaich 1996, p. 27
1 2 3 4 Rasch 1985, p. 119
↑ Romanconcrete.com
↑ Müller 2005, p. 253
↑ Bishop 1977, p. 92
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Rasch 1985, p. 129
1 2 3 4 Corner
1 2 Pillar
1 2 3 4 5 Rasch 1985, p. 123
1 2 Heinz 1983, pp. 60–64
1 2 3 4 5 6 Rasch 1985, p. 125
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rasch 1985, p. 126
↑ Schäfke 1985, pp. 100 & 118
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rasch 1985, p. 124
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rasch 1985, p. 127
1 2 Rasch 1985, p. 138
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rasch 1985, p. 130
1 2 3 4 5 Rasch 1985, p. 136
↑ Mark & Hutchinson 1986, p. 33
1 2 3 4 5 6 Rasch 1985, p. 118
1 2 3 4 Rasch 1985, p. 133
1 2 3 Rasch 1985, p. 135
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rasch 1985, p. 128
1 2 Rasch 1985, p. 139
↑ Rasch 1985, p. 137
↑ Rasch 1985, p. 120
↑ Rasch 1985, p. 134
↑ Rasch 1985, p. 122

Sources

Main source

Rasch, Jürgen (1985), "Die Kuppel in der römischen Architektur. Entwicklung, Formgebung, Konstruktion", Architectura 15, pp. 117–139

Further sources

Bishop, John (1977), "The Pantheon: Design, Meaning, and Progeny (Review)", Art Journal 37 (1), p. 92
Heinle, Erwin; Schlaich, Jörg (1996), Kuppeln aller Zeiten, aller Kulturen, Stuttgart, ISBN 3-421-03062-6
Heinz, Werner (1983), Römische Thermen. Badewesen und Badeluxus im römischen Reich, München, pp. 60–64, ISBN 3-7774-3540-6
Lechtman, Heather; Hobbs, Linn (1986), "Roman Concrete and the Roman Architectural Revolution. Ceramics and Civilization", in Kingery, W. D., High Technology Ceramics: Past, Present, Future 3, American Ceramics Society
Mark, Robert; Hutchinson, Paul (1986), "On the Structure of the Roman Pantheon", Art Bulletin 68 (1), pp. 24–34, doi:10.2307/3050861, JSTOR 3050861
Müller, Werner (2005), dtv-Atlas Baukunst I. Allgemeiner Teil: Baugeschichte von Mesopotamien bis Byzanz (14th ed.), München, ISBN 3-423-03020-8
Schäfke, Werner (1985), Kölns romanische Kirchen. Architektur, Ausstattung, Geschichte (5th ed.), Köln, ISBN 3-7701-1360-8

External links

Traianus — Technical investigation of Roman public works
The Roman Pantheon: The Triumph of Concrete

Roman architecture lists

Roman Empire	Amphitheatres Aqueducts Bridges Canals Circuses Cisterns Dams and reservoirs Domes Monoliths Public baths Roofs Spiral stairs Theatres Triumphal arches Victory columns Villas in Belgium Villas in England Watermills

City of Rome	Aqueducts Ancient monuments Roman Forum monuments Obelisks

Architectural records of the Greco-Roman World

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