The capital of the antæ and pilasters is without volutes, as is seen here. The shaft has no flutings; the base, on the other hand, is the same as in the columns, and is continued round the walls as a plinth.

Plan of Ionic Antæ Capital from the Temple of Minerva Polias at Athens

The capital of the antæ and pilasters is without volutes, as is seen here. The shaft has no flutings;…

The royal Château de Chambord at Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France is one of the most recognizable châteaux in the world because of its very distinct French Renaissance architecture that blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Italian structures.

Plan of Château de Chambord

The royal Château de Chambord at Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France is one of the most recognizable…

"Ground Plan of the Colosseum at Rome, with representation of the Tiers of Seats, and of the Substructure. The shape of the amphitheatre was borrowed from that of the theatre. Since no stage was necessary, and with a view to securing as many rows of seats as possible, the semicircular form of the theatre was done away with, and the whole became a circle, or rather an ellipse, which was afterwards the recognized shape for all buildings of this nature, whether at Rome or in the provinces."

Ground Plan of the Colosseum

"Ground Plan of the Colosseum at Rome, with representation of the Tiers of Seats, and of the Substructure.…

The Colosseum or Roman Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium, Italian Anfiteatro Flavio or Colosseo), is an elliptical amphitheatre in the center of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.

Colosseum, Half Plan

The Colosseum or Roman Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium,…

The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St. Cuthbert of Durham, commonly referred to as Durham Cathedral, in the city of Durham, England, was founded in AD 1093 and remains a center for Christian worship today. It is generally regarded as one of the finest examples of a Norman cathedral and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with nearby Durham Castle, which faces it across Palace Green, high above the River Wear.

Plan of Durham Cathedral

The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St. Cuthbert of Durham, commonly referred…

Palazzo Farnese is a prominent High Renaissance palace in Rome, which currently houses the French Embassy in Italy. According to Sir Banister Fletcher it is "the most imposing Italian palace of the sixteenth century."

Plan of Farnese Palace

Palazzo Farnese is a prominent High Renaissance palace in Rome, which currently houses the French Embassy…

Hagia Sophia is a former patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. It was the largest cathedral ever built in the world for nearly a thousand years, until the completion of the Seville Cathedral in 1520. The current building was originally constructed as a church between A.D. 532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, and was in fact the third Church of the Holy Wisdom to occupy the site.

Plan of Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia is a former patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. Famous…

Hagia Sophia is a former patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. It was the largest cathedral ever built in the world for nearly a thousand years, until the completion of the Seville Cathedral in 1520. The current building was originally constructed as a church between A.D. 532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, and was in fact the third Church of the Holy Wisdom to occupy the site.

Section of Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia is a former patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. Famous…

The Pompeiian house consisted of several courts or <em>atria</em>, some of which were surrounded by colonnades and called peristyles. The front portion was reserved for shops, or presented to the street a wall unbroken save by the entrance.Legend: s, shops; v, vestibule; f, family rooms; k, kitchen; l, lararium; p, peristyles

House of Pansa, Pompeii (Plan)

The Pompeiian house consisted of several courts or atria, some of which were surrounded by…

The palais du Louvre in Paris, on the Right Bank of the Seine is a former royal palace, situated between the Tuileries Gardens and the church of Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois. Its origins date back to the medieval period and its present structure has evolved in stages since the sixteenth century.

Plan of Louvre and Tuileries, Paris

The palais du Louvre in Paris, on the Right Bank of the Seine is a former royal palace, situated between…

One peculiarity is visible in all Assyrian buildings, namely, that all the chambers are very narrow in proportion to their length. It may, however, be accepted as established that the chambers were in general lighted by windows, which were inserted in the walls either high up or immediately under the roof, and that only large halls received their light from above through openings in the roof.

Floor Plan of the Palace at Nimrud

One peculiarity is visible in all Assyrian buildings, namely, that all the chambers are very narrow…

Diocletian's Palace (Dioklecijanova palaca in Croatian) is a building in Split in Croatia that was built by the emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD. The Latin name of the city, Spalatum, was drawn from that of the nearby Greek colony Aspalathos, which in turn was named after a white thorn common in the area. Contrary to popular belief, it has nothing to do with the Latin word for palace, palatium.

Palace of Diocletian, Plan

Diocletian's Palace (Dioklecijanova palaca in Croatian) is a building in Split in Croatia that was built…

La Sainte-Chapelle (English: The Holy Chapel) is a Gothic chapel on the &Icirc;le de la Cit&eacute; in the heart of Paris, France. It is perhaps the high point of the full tide of the rayonnante period of Gothic architecture.

Plan of Sainte Chapelle, Paris

La Sainte-Chapelle (English: The Holy Chapel) is a Gothic chapel on the Île de la Cité…

"It was in Central France, and mainly along the Loire, that the systematic development of vaulted church architecture began. Naves covered with barrel-vaults, sometimes of pointed section, appear in a number of large churches built during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, with apsidal and transeptal chapels and aisles carried around the apse, as in the imposing church of St. Sernin at Toulouse, in Provence. The thrust of these ponderous vaults was clumsily resisted by half-barrel vaults over the side aisles, transmitting the strain to massive side-walls."

Plan of St. Sernin, Toulouse

"It was in Central France, and mainly along the Loire, that the systematic development of vaulted church…

The Temple of Edfu is an ancient Egyptian temple located on the west bank of the Nile in the city of Edfu which was known in Greco-Roman times as Apollonopolis Magna, after the chief god Horus-Apollo. It is the second largest temple in Egypt after Karnak and one of the best preserved. The temple, dedicated to the falcon god Horus, was built in the Ptolemaic period between 237 and 57 <small>BCE</small>. A, pylon; B, obelisks; C, entrance; D, temple courts; E, porticus; F, pronaos (court with colonnades); G, naos; H, sanctarium.

Temple of Edfu, Floor Plan

The Temple of Edfu is an ancient Egyptian temple located on the west bank of the Nile in the city of…

Located with the large Precinct of Amun-Re at Karnak, in Luxor, Egypt, the Temple of Khonsu is an example of an almost complete New Kingdom temple, and was originally constructed by Ramesses III, on the site of an earlier temple. The gateway of this temple is at the end of the avenue of syphinxes that ran to the Luxor Temple.

Floor Plan of the Temple of Khonsu

Located with the large Precinct of Amun-Re at Karnak, in Luxor, Egypt, the Temple of Khonsu is an example…

The Temple of Venus and Roma (Latin: Templum Veneris et Romae) was the largest known temple in Ancient Rome. Located at the far east side of the Forum Romanum near the Colosseum, it was dedicated to the goddesses Venus Felix (Venus the Bringer of Good Fortune) and Roma Aeterna (Eternal Rome). The architect was the emperor Hadrian. Construction of the temple began in 121. It was officially inaugurated by Hadrian in 135, and finished in 141 under Antoninus Pius. Damaged by fire in 307, it was restored with alterations by the emperor Maxentius.

Temple of Venus and Roma, Plan

The Temple of Venus and Roma (Latin: Templum Veneris et Romae) was the largest known temple in Ancient…

There is another form of Egyptian temples called Typhons. They consist of a simple house in the shape of an oblong square, which has the entrance on the shorter side, and two or three consecutive chambers in the interior; whilst a colonnade surrounds all the four sides of the exterior.

Small Temple on Elephantine Island, Floor Plan

There is another form of Egyptian temples called Typhons. They consist of a simple house in the shape…

A, in antis; B, prostyle; C, amphiprostyle; D, peripteral (The Parthenon); N, Naos; O, Opisthodomus; S, statue.

Types of Greek Temple Plans

A, in antis; B, prostyle; C, amphiprostyle; D, peripteral (The Parthenon); N, Naos; O, Opisthodomus;…

"The theatre was essentially like the Grecian in its arrangement; it formed a semicircle with seats rising in the form of an amphitheatre for the spectators, at the chord of which was the stage, with its permanent decorations."

Ground Plan of the Theatre at Pompeii

"The theatre was essentially like the Grecian in its arrangement; it formed a semicircle with seats…

O, orchestra; L, logeion; P, paraskenai; SK, skene; ST, stoa.

Plan of Greek Theatre

O, orchestra; L, logeion; P, paraskenai; SK, skene; ST, stoa.

The Baths of Caracalla were Roman public baths, or therm&aelig;, built in Rome between AD 212 and 216, during the reign of the Emperor Caracalla. The extensive ruins of the baths have become a popular tourist attraction.

Thermæ of Caracalla, Plan of Central Block

The Baths of Caracalla were Roman public baths, or thermæ, built in Rome between AD 212 and 216,…