central-plan buildings

List of Central Plan Buildings

  • Pantheon Rome, Italy

    This magnificent ancient temple was built by Emperor Hadrian in 125 and converted into a church in 609. It is the oldest intact ancient building in Rome.

  • Basilica of St. Mark Venice, Italy

    A Byzantine wonder that looks more like Istanbul than Italy, the 11th-century Basilica di San Marco is covered in domes, lined with golden mosaics, and filled with ancient art treasures.

  • Cathedral of Christ the Savior Moscow, Russia

    The khram Khrista Spasitela in Moscow may be the largest Orthodox church in the world. The building is magnificent, but not as old as it looks: it was rebuilt in 2000 after the original was demolished.

  • Temple of Janus Autun, France

    Across the river on the north side of Autun is a ruin of a Roman temple, standing an impressive 79 ft high. Traditionally identified with the god Janus, it dates from the 1st century.

  • Hagia Sophia

    Once a mosque and now a museum, the Hagia Sophia was originally a Byzantine cathedral, built in 537. It is universally acknowledged as one of the great buildings of the world.

  • Baptistery of St. John Florence, Italy c. 1050

    Reconstructed in the mid-11th century, the cathedral baptistery is one of Florence's oldest buildings and greatest art treasures. It is covered inside and out with splendid medieval and Renaissance decoration.

  • St. George's Church Cairo, Egypt

    The Church of St. George (Mari Girgis) in Cairo is the primary Greek Orthodox church of Egypt and the only round church in the country. Originally built in the 10th century, it stands atop an old Roman tower and adjoins a monastery.