Editing Classical architecture (section)

{{Short description|Architectural style, inspired by classical Greco-Roman architectural principles}}
[[File:Serlio 5 orders peake.png|thumb|right|upright=1.2|[[Sebastiano Serlio]], the first to canonize the five [[Classical orders]] ([[Tuscan order|Tuscan]], [[Doric order|Doric]], [[Ionic order|Ionic]], [[Corinthian order|Corinthian]], and [[composite order|Composite]]), as examples of classical [[architectural theory]]|alt=Sebastiano Serlio's canon of the Classical orders, a prime example of classical architectural theory]]

'''Classical architecture''' typically refers to [[architecture]] consciously derived from the principles of [[Ancient Greek architecture|Greek]] and [[Ancient Roman architecture|Roman architecture]] of [[classical antiquity]], or more specifically, from ''[[De architectura]]'' (c. 10 AD) by the Roman architect [[Vitruvius]].<ref name="FHPDoA86">{{cite book|last1=Fleming | first1=John |last2=Honour |first2=Hugh |last3=Pevsner |first3=Nikolaus |title=Dictionary of architecture |publisher=Penguin Books |edition=3 |year=1986 |page=76 |url=https://archive.org/details/penguindictionar00flem_0/page/76 |isbn =0-14-051013-3}}</ref><ref name="Watkin6-8">{{cite book |last1=Watkin |first1=David |title=A History of Western Architecture |publisher=Watson-Guptill Publications |year=2005 |isbn=0-8230-2277-3 |edition=4th |pages=6–8}}</ref> Variations of classical architecture have arguably existed since the [[Carolingian Renaissance]],<ref name="FHPDoA86"/> and became especially prominent during the [[Italian Renaissance]] and the later period known as [[neoclassical architecture]] or Classical revival. While classical styles of architecture can vary, they generally share a common "vocabulary" of decorative and structural elements.<ref name="FHPDoA86"/><ref name="Watkin6-8"/><ref name="Summerson7-8">{{cite book|last1=Summerson |first1=John |title=The Classical Language of Architecture |publisher=Thames and Hudson |year=1980 |pages=7–8 |isbn=0-500-20177-3}}</ref> Across much of the [[Western world]], classical [[architectural style]]s have dominated the history of architecture from the [[Renaissance]] until [[World War II]]. Classical architecture continues to influence contemporary architects.

The term ''classical architecture'' can also refer to any architectural tradition that has evolved to a highly refined form, such as classical Chinese or Mayan architecture. It may also describe architecture that adheres to classical aesthetic philosophy. The term might be used differently from "traditional" or "[[vernacular architecture]]", it can share underlying axioms with it.

For contemporary buildings following authentic classical principles, the term [[New Classical architecture]] is often used.