Nordic round churches

In general, the round shape enabled defence, since it gave the defenders a better view of their surroundings and offered no blind spots for attackers to take advantage of.

Well-known structures which show similar influence from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre include the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, the Haghia Sophia in Istanbul, and the Palatine Chapel of Charlemagne in Aachen.

Additionally, the round churches show strong German and West Slavic influence.

[7] Signs of this influence as far afield as the Round church of Ophir [de] on Orkney indicate an extraordinary cultural exchange at that time even over great distances.

Their significance lies in their fortress-like outer-walls with large buttresses, which bear the weight of a round barrel vault along with a central pillar.

The weight of these roofs rests on the outer walls, making strong external supports necessary, which are especially distinctive on the church of Østerlars.

The upper stories are only accessible by narrow passages and served the local people as a refuge against pirate raids.

The name derives from the archbishop Absalon of Lund, a member of the Zealand noble and ecclesiastical family of Hvide.

[citation needed] The modern church for the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo congregation in Hagsätra, Stockholm, has a circular nave tied to a rectangular service building.

The circular part has an outer wall in rough red concrete, free of windows, that leans outwards to form a slice of an upside-down cone.