Cupola

Encyclopedia : C : CU : CUP : Cupola

For other uses, see cupola (disambiguation)

Cupola of St Peter's Basilica, Rome

In architecture, a cupola consists of a dome-shaped ornamental structure located on top of a larger roof or dome, often used as a lookout or to admit light and provide ventilation. The word comes, through Italian, from the lower latin 'cupula' (classical latin 'cupella' from the greek 'kupellon') small cup (lat. 'cupa') indicating a vault resembling an upside down cup.

In some cases, the entire main roof of a tower or spire can form a single cupola. More frequently, however, the cupola comprises a smaller structure which sits on top of the main roof. If the cupola can be reached by climbing a stairway inside the building, it is referred to as a belvedere or widow's walk. Some cupolas, called lanterns, have small windows which illuminate the areas below.

See also

• Turret
• Cupola caboose

External links

• [Cupolas in Architecture]

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.