{{short description|Windowed tower atop the crossing of a cruciform church}} {{More citations needed|date=April 2022}} [[File:Tarazona cathédrale 2.jpg|thumb|Lantern tower (left) and bell tower at Tarazona Cathedral, Spain]]
In church 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 octagonal and give an extra dimension to the decorated interior of the dome.
An affiliated term is the Italian '''{{lang|it|tiburio}}''', which is the lantern set above a dome. Like a lantern tower, a {{lang|it|tiburio}} is often polygonal and interspersed with windows both to lighten the load and allow for light to shine. The word {{lang|it|tiburio}} is from the Medieval Latin {{lang|la|tiburium}} ({{literally|hut}}, a variant of {{wikt-lang|la|tugurium}}).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bogdanovic |first1=Jelena |title=The Framing of Sacred Space |date=2017 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-068137-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m2IpDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT102 |quote=For example, Pope Symmachus (498–514) described canopies as ''tiburium'' and ''tegurium'', meaning “small house” or “hut.” Other Latin synonyms were ''tugurinum, tiburinum, tiguriam, cyburium, cipurium, ciborium, fastigium, tegurmentum, tibutium, tegimen'' […]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Loi |first1=Maria Cristina |last2=Patetta |first2=Luciano |title=Tradizioni e regionalismi nel primo Rinascimento italiano |date=2005 |publisher=Unicopli |isbn=978-88-400-1051-9 |page=44 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tY1IAQAAIAAJ |language=it |quote=alla voce ''tiburio'', si legge “''tigurium'', ''tiburium'' (latino medievale). Copertura esterna di una cupola […]}}</ref>
==Gallery== <gallery> File:Peterborough lantern tower.JPG|Interior, Peterborough Cathedral, UK <!-- File:Manbulsa Great Lantern Tower 11-10133.JPG| Buddhist temple, Korea ←← Not a lantern tower, but a literal tower of lanterns (for lamps). --> File:Sutton Church - geograph.org.uk - 378802.jpg|St Andrew's Church, Sutton, UK File:StEtienne tour lanterne.jpg|Interior, Saint-Étienne's Church, Caen <!-- File:The church and school, Borris, Co. Carlow - geograph.org.uk - 212833.jpg| School, Ireland ←← This may just be a belfry (bell tower)? --> </gallery>
== See also == * Roof lantern
== References == {{Commons category}} {{reflist}}
Category:Towers Category:Church architecture