Lantern tower
In 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 tiburio, which is the lantern atop a dome.Like a lantern tower, a tiburio is often polygonal and interspersed with windows both to lighten the load and allow for light to shine.The word tiburio is from the Medieval Latin tiburium (lit.