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The Construction Technique Employed in the Erection of the Masonry Dome of the Mosta Rotunda, Malta
Spanning large roofs had always been a challenge in the history of architecture. A leap was made by the Romans with the construction of structures such as the Pantheon in Rome. This building was the model on which the Mosta Rotunda was constructed. This rotunda, which supports the third largest circular masonry dome in Christian Europe, is erected in Lower Globigerina Limestone. Although there exists a reliable description on its construction, the erection of Mġarr dome is a good illustration. Albeit elliptical instead of circular, the parish priest of Mġarr during the construction of the church was well versed in the historical documents – including the architect’s drawings and his technical submission/s – relating to the Rotunda and both the architect-engineer and master mason of the Mġarr church hailed from Mosta. Photographic images taken during the building of Mġarr dome fit squarely with the concise descriptions of the construction technique used in the erection of Mosta dome. These photos illustrate the notching of a course to the one below; the overlap is nearly a third of the length of the voussoir, which tallies with published descriptions on the Mosta dome.
The Construction Technique Employed in the Erection of the Masonry Dome of the Mosta Rotunda, Malta
Spanning large roofs had always been a challenge in the history of architecture. A leap was made by the Romans with the construction of structures such as the Pantheon in Rome. This building was the model on which the Mosta Rotunda was constructed. This rotunda, which supports the third largest circular masonry dome in Christian Europe, is erected in Lower Globigerina Limestone. Although there exists a reliable description on its construction, the erection of Mġarr dome is a good illustration. Albeit elliptical instead of circular, the parish priest of Mġarr during the construction of the church was well versed in the historical documents – including the architect’s drawings and his technical submission/s – relating to the Rotunda and both the architect-engineer and master mason of the Mġarr church hailed from Mosta. Photographic images taken during the building of Mġarr dome fit squarely with the concise descriptions of the construction technique used in the erection of Mosta dome. These photos illustrate the notching of a course to the one below; the overlap is nearly a third of the length of the voussoir, which tallies with published descriptions on the Mosta dome.
The Construction Technique Employed in the Erection of the Masonry Dome of the Mosta Rotunda, Malta
Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering
Vatin, Nikolai (editor) / Pakhomova, Ekaterina Gennadyevna (editor) / Kukaras, Danijel (editor) / Bianco, Lino (author)
2022-10-14
14 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
| Engineering Index Backfile | 1933
Southwest side dome inside Rotunda
| DataCite | 2016
Southwest side dome inside Rotunda
| DataCite | 2016
| DataCite | 2016
Nortwest side dome inside Rotunda
| DataCite | 2016