Monolithic architecture

Pancha Rathas monolith rock-cut temple, late 7th century

For the software sense, see monolithic system.

Monolithic architecture covers buildings carved, cast or excavated from a single piece of material, in historic forms rock. The most basic form of architecture constructed from monoliths is a rock-cut building, such as the monolithic churches of Ethiopia built by the Zagwe dynasty, or the Pancha Rathas in India. These are cut out of solid rock, to which they remain attached at the base. In most cases this is evident from the remaining surrounding rock, but sometimes a building is cut from an outcrop, as in the Shore Temple in southern India, and only inspection at close quarters reveals that the building is monolithic.

Buildings with a structural material that is poured into place, most commonly with concrete, can also be described as monolithic. Extreme examples are monolithic domes, where the material is sprayed inside of a form to produce the solid structure. An ancient example of a monolithic dome is that of the Mausoleum of Theodoric in Ravenna, Italy, whose roof is a single stone.

The terms monolith and elements such as monolithic columns are normally used for objects made from a single large piece of rock which is detached from the ground. They may have been moved a considerable distance, as with several ancient Egyptian obelisks, which have been moved across the world.

See also

• Church architecture
• Statue of Ahimsa, largest monolithic sculpture

References

• Russell Sturgis, Sturgis' Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture and Building

External links

• Media related to Monolithic architecture at Wikimedia Commons