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cross-in-square plan
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Byzantine quincunx church
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cross-in-square plan

architecture
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Byzantine quincunx church
Byzantine quincunx church (Left) Perspective drawing of a Byzantine quincunx, or five-domed, church, a church type of the second Golden Age based on the domed cross element. (Right) Plan of the church, showing the cross-in-square design.

The cross-in-square plan is an architectural design, primarily used in Byzantine and later Western churches. It features a square central area with four equal arms, forming a Greek cross shape. This design typically includes a dome supported by four columns over the central aisle, with vaults extending to roof the arms of the cross.123

This layout was influential for centuries, with variations like the quincunx adding subsidiary domes. Churches built in this style often had chapels at the eastern ends of the side aisles and were separated from the main body by a screen, which evolved into the iconostasis found in Orthodox churches today.3

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3 Britannica Sources
  1. Greek-cross plan
  2. Western architecture - The middle Byzantine period (843–1204)
  3. Greek-cross plan

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