Lantern tower



In architecture, the lantern tower is a tall construction above the junction of the four arms of a cruciform (cross-shaped) church, with openings through which light from outside can shine down to the crossing (so it also called a crossing lantern).

Many lantern towers are usually octagonal, and give an extra dimension to the decorated interior of the dome.

An affiliated term is the Italian tiburio, which is the lantern atop a dome. Like a lantern tower, a tiburio is often polygonal and interspersed with windows both to lighten the load and allow for light to shine. The word tiburio is from the Medieval Latin tiburium (lit. 'hut', a variant of ).