ROTUNDA

Paleochristian and Byzantine Monument- Rotunda of St. George.
The Rotunda of Galerius is 125m northeast of the Arch of Galerius in Thessaloniki, north part of Greece. It is now the Greek Orthodox Church of Agios Georgios, better known as the Church of the Rotunda (or simply The Rotunda). It is centrally planned and owes its name to its shape. The cylindrical structure was built in 306 on the orders of the tetrarch Galerius, who was thought to have intended it to be his mausoleum. It was more likely intended as a temple, either as a Temple of Zeus or Kabeiros. The Rotunda has a diameter of 24.5 m. Its walls are more than 6 m thick, which is one reason why it has withstood Thessaloniki's earthquakes. In its original design, the dome of the Rotunda had an oculus like the Pantheon in Rome.