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Oculus (architecture)

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Circular opening in the center of a dome or in a wall

"Oculi" redirects here. For the third Sunday in Lent, seeOculi Sunday. For the Ugandan writer and poet, seeOkello Oculi.

Renaissance oculus on the west facade of theCour Carrée of theLouvre Palace, with figures of war and peace, sculpted byJean Goujon and designed byPierre Lescot, 1548^[1]

Anoculus (from Latin oculus 'eye';pl. oculi) is a circular opening in the center of a dome or in a wall. Originating inclassical architecture, it is a feature ofByzantine andNeoclassical architecture.

A horizontal oculus in the center of a dome is also calledopaion (from Ancient Greek ὀπαῖον (opaîon) '(smoke) hole';pl. opaia).

Oeil-de-boeuf

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Anoeil-de-boeuf (French:[œj.də.bœf]; English:"bull's eye"), alsoœil de bœuf and sometimes anglicized asox-eye window, is a relatively smallelliptical window, typically for an upper storey, and sometimes set in a roof slope as adormer, or above a door to let innatural 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.^[2]

Windows of this type are commonly found in the grand architecture ofBaroque France. The term is also applied to similar round windows, such as those found inGeorgian architecture in Great Britain, and laterGreek Revival andColonial 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.^[3]

The spread is not limited toecclesiastical architecture. This type of window can also be found in the late Romanesque period in the area of secular architecture in the castles ofFrederick 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 inRenaissance palaces and villas and in the Baroque.

Anoeil-de-boeuf window of theChâteau de Chenonceau, France
An "œil de bœuf" window inLyon (France)
Anoeil-de-boeuf window in theGeorgian Sutton Lodge inSutton, London.^[4]

History

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Classical

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The oculus was used inAncient Roman architecture, one of the finest examples being that in the dome of thePantheon, 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 8.7 m (29 feet), allowing it to light the building.

Byzantine

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The oculus was widely used in the architecture of theByzantine Empire. It was applied to buildings inSyria in the 5th and 6th centuries and again in the 10th century. InConstantinople'sMyrelaion Church (c. 920), there are two oculi above thestringcourse on both lateral facades.^[5]

Renaissance

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Early examples of the oculus inRenaissance architecture can be seen inFlorence Cathedral, in the naveclerestory and topping the crowns of the arcade arches.^[6]

Neoclassical

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Since the revival of dome construction beginning in theItalian Renaissance, open oculi have been replaced by light-transmittingcupolas and other round windows, openings, andskylights. They can be seen in the pediments ofPalladio'sVilla Rotonda, though not in the dome. Use of oculus windows became more popular inBaroque architecture. Widely used byNeo-Palladian architects includingColen Campbell, one can be seen in the dome ofThomas Jefferson'sRotunda at theUniversity of Virginia.^[2]^[7]