### baptisterium, round church, basilica arrangement
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