The construction technique employed in the erection of the masonry dome of the Mosta Rotunda, Malta

Abstract

Spanning large roofs had always been a challenge in the history of architecture. A leap was made by the Romans with the construction of structures such as the Pantheon in Rome. This buildingwas themodel on which the Mosta Rotundawas constructed. This rotunda, which supports the third largest circular masonry dome in Christian Europe, is erected in Lower Globigerina Limestone. Although there exists a reliable description on its construction, the erection ofM˙garr dome is a good illustration. Albeit elliptical instead of circular, the parish priest of M˙garr during the construction of the church was well versed in the historical documents – including the architect’s drawings and his technical submission/s – relating to the Rotunda and both the architect-engineer and master mason of the M˙garr church hailed from Mosta. Photographic images taken during the building of M˙garr dome fit squarely with the concise descriptions of the construction technique used in the erection of Mosta dome. These photos illustrate the notching of a course to the one below; the overlap is nearly a third of the length of the voussoir, which tallies with published descriptions on the Mosta dome.