Oculus (architecture)
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An oculus (Template:Etymology; Template:Plural abbr) is a circular opening in the center of a dome or in a wall. Originating in classical architecture, it is a feature of Byzantine and Neoclassical architecture.
A horizontal oculus in the center of a dome is also called opaion (Template:Etymology; Template:Plural abbr).
Oeil-de-boeufEdit
Template:Sister project An oeil-de-boeuf ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}; Template:Langx), also œil de bœuf and sometimes anglicized as ox-eye window, is a relatively small elliptical window, typically for an upper storey, and sometimes set in a roof slope as a dormer, or above a door to let in natural light. These are relatively small windows, traditionally oval. The term is increasingly used for circular windows (in which case it could also be called an oculus), but not for holes in domes or ceilings.<ref name=riba>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Windows of this type are commonly found in the grand architecture of Baroque France. The term is also applied to similar round windows, such as those found in Georgian architecture in Great Britain, and later Greek Revival and Colonial Revival styles in North America, so that must be considered part of the usage. The term initially applied to horizontal elliptical windows, but is also used for vertical ones.<ref>Burden, Ernest E., Illustrated dictionary of architecture, McGraw-Hill Professional, 2001, p.354, Template:ISBN, Template:ISBN Google Books</ref>
The spread is not limited to ecclesiastical architecture. This type of window can also be found in the late Romanesque period in the area of secular architecture in the castles of Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 to 1250, (Castel del Monte, Palazzo San Gervasio, on the donjon in the castle of Lucera, etc.), later also in Renaissance palaces and villas and in the Baroque.
- Schloss Chenonceau Ochsenauge.jpg
An oeil-de-boeuf window of the Château de Chenonceau, France
- Un œil de bœuf à Lyon (France).JPG
An "œil de bœuf" window in Lyon (France)
- Sutton Lodge, Brighton Rd, SUTTON, Surrey, Greater London (4).jpg
An oeil-de-boeuf window in the Georgian Sutton Lodge in Sutton, London.<ref>Sutton Lodge Day Centre website</ref>
HistoryEdit
ClassicalEdit
The oculus was used in Ancient Roman architecture, one of the finest examples being that in the dome of the Pantheon, Rome. Open to the weather, it allows rain and air to enter and fall to the floor, where it is carried away through drains. Though the opening looks small, it actually has a diameter of Template:Convert, allowing it to light the building.
ByzantineEdit
The oculus was widely used in the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. It was applied to buildings in Syria in the 5th and 6th centuries and again in the 10th century. In Constantinople's Myrelaion Church (c. 920), there are two oculi above the stringcourse on both lateral facades.<ref name="ĆurčićJohnson2012">Template:Cite book</ref>
RenaissanceEdit
Early examples of the oculus in Renaissance architecture can be seen in Florence Cathedral, in the nave clerestory and topping the crowns of the arcade arches.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
NeoclassicalEdit
Since the revival of dome construction beginning in the Italian Renaissance, open oculi have been replaced by light-transmitting cupolas and other round windows, openings, and skylights. They can be seen in the pediments of Palladio's Villa Rotonda, though not in the dome. Use of oculus windows became more popular in Baroque architecture. Widely used by Neo-Palladian architects including Colen Campbell, one can be seen in the dome of Thomas Jefferson's Rotunda at the University of Virginia.<ref name=riba/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ExamplesEdit
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- 2024 Pantheon Rome 04 2024 7134.jpg
The Ancient Roman oculus (opaion) of the Pantheon, Rome, Italy
- Plafond hasht behesht esfahan.jpg
Islamic oculus (opaion) opening into a cupola in the Hasht Behesht, Isfahan, Iran
- Oculi - - Altar of Our Lady of Sweat - Duomo - Ravenna 2016.jpg
Baroque oculus (opaion) in a dome of the Ravenna Cathedral, Ravenna, Italy
- Gassicourt Sainte-Anne 327.JPG
Romanesque oculus of the Template:Ill, Mantes-la-Jolie, France
- Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Laon, tour-lanterne 02.jpg
Gothic oculus in the Laon Cathedral, Laon, France
- Florence duomo fc10.jpg
Renaissance oculus of the Florence Cathedral, Florence, Italy
- Parc de Bagatelle @ Paris (27765814394).jpg
Rococo oculus in the Parc de Bagatelle (Paris)
- South gate of the Petit Trianon 004.JPG
Louis XVI round window of the Petit Trianon (Versailles, France), with a festoon-derived ornament at the top
- Georgsplatz 20, Fensterdetail, Hannover.jpg
Gothic Revival oculus of the Hannoversche Bank - Haus III on Georgstraße, Hannover, Germany
- Opéra municipal de Clermont-Ferrand, œil de bœuf.jpg
19th century Eclectic Classicist oculus of the Template:Ill, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Fenêtre sur le toit du Palais de Justice.JPG
Beaux-Arts dormer oculus of the Building of Préfecture de Police de Paris, Île de la Cité
- Louis Baralis HSBC 1.jpg
Art Nouveau oculus of the Template:Ill, Paris