baptisterium, round church, basilica arrangement

Ják - Chapel 1
Pápóc - Chapel
Ják - Chapel 2
Ják - Church 2
Lébény - Church 1
Lébény - Church 2
baptisterium (Latin, baptising church or chapel)

Till the 8th century it was an independent building next to Old Christian and Roman churches, in most of the cases with a round ground-plan. Their most important element was the baptising pool. This pool gradually decreased in size - together with liturgic changes - and became a baptising well. Baptisteriums were usually consecrated to Christening St John the Baptiser. Its most beautiful examples survived in Italy.

KT


round church / round chapel (rotunda)

It was quite popular in the 10th century in Central-Europe (Hungary, Austria, Poland, the South-Czech territories). These were small churches with a round ground-plan, with a diameter of usually 5-7 meters, and with a chancel (generally semi-circular) on the eastern side. Quite many round churches or their ruins survived in Hungary (Öskü, Sárospatak, Veszprém), or if they were rebuilt the walls of the rotunda were used as a chancel (Karcsa, Hidegség). In Hungarian charters rotundas were called "round churches". The frequently used place name "Kerekegyháza" [Round church] refers to the great number of such churches. Besides the simple circular ground-plan there were many varieties (oval, square, with niches, polygonal).

basilica arrangement

An early version of a church with three naves, where the central or main nave is wider and higher than the side-aisles, and there are windows in the wall above the side-aisles, so there is direct light coming into the building.

KT