Illustrated Architecture Dictionary

Roundel
(Pronounced roundle)

1 - Small circular decorative plate used extensively in Renaissance courtyards and arcades, often a niche containing a bust.

2 - A small disk, especially a decorative medallion

3 - Artillery fortification with a rounded or circular plan of a similar height to the adjacent defensive walls.

4 -  Viewed from above, roundels consist of one or more wide, circular ditches with several gaps that functioned as entrances.  Roundels are the oldest evidence of architecture in the whole of Europe and flourished between 4900 B.C. and 4400 B.C.

Roundel window: small circular window, usually made of a single piece of glass and illustrated with glass paint


Examples in Buffalo:

Other examples:


Photos and their arrangement © 2009 Chuck LaChiusa
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