onion dome

Pointed bulbous roof

An onion dome is a bulbous dome that swells outward before tapering to a point, resembling the shape of an onion.

This architectural feature is characteristic of Russian Orthodox churches and other Eastern European and Central Asian religious buildings, where multiple onion domes often appear together in clusters.

The distinctive silhouette of St.

Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, with its colorful onion domes, has made this form iconic of Russian architecture.

Russian

Kremlin

Moscow's fortified government seat

Red SquareMoscow's central plaza
MoscowRussia's capital city
cathedralBishop's principal church

tsar · wooden church · fresco · icon · bell tower · monastery

architecture

bulbous

Swollen and round

cupolaSmall rooftop dome
drumStruck percussion cylinder
tent roofCovering of temporary shelter

apse · gilt · polychrome · ribbed · octagonal · hemispherical · finial · cross · spire · masonry

ornate

gilded

Overlaid with gold leaf

polychromeHaving multiple colors
paintedCoated with pigment
colorfulFull of varied hues

elaborate · decorative · patterned · vibrant · brilliant · lacquered · enameled · studded · faceted · intricate

Orthodox

Eastern Orthodox

Ancient Christian communion

ByzantineOf Constantinople's civilization
Greek OrthodoxByzantine Christian tradition
UkrainianOf a Black Sea nation

Serbian · Bulgarian · Romanian · Georgian · Ethiopian · iconography · liturgy · patriarch · metropolitan · vespers

spiritual

sanctuary

Protected sacred space

sacredWorthy of reverence
consecratedDeclared sacred through ritual
holyDedicated to the divine

worship · prayer · devotion · pilgrimage · blessing · reverence · divine · celestial · heavenly · transcendence

onion dome

Kremlin

bulbous

gilded

Eastern Orthodox

sanctuary

onion dome

Opposites

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Family