Columns and temple front
Design a column in a classical order, with a base, shaft and capital made of blocks, stairs and slabs. Put a row of them under an entablature with a pediment, or build a colonnade in a row, ring or oval. Click blocks you have placed to keep track of where you are.
Pick an example to start from and adjust it afterwards.
Front view
One column in detail
Click a layer of the column to view it on the right.
Dark half = high side of a stair. An upside-down stair has an open square. Light square = bottom slab, light square with a line = top slab.
Build breakdown
Per layer, from bottom to top
| Layer | Part | Blocks | Stairs | Slabs |
|---|
Layer 1, row by row
| Row | Start | Pattern | Pieces |
|---|
Build tips
- Build the steps and the stylobate (the top step) first. Then put one marker block on every column axis, so the spacing is right.
- Finish one column completely and copy it. All columns are the same; only their position differs.
- You place upside-down stairs by clicking the top half of a block. They form the flaring capitals and the cornice.
- The build plan shows which way each stair faces: the dark half is the high side. In the capital it points at the column axis.
- A pediment with a slope of 1 : 2 or lower is made of slabs and blocks in turn. At 1 : 1 you use stairs.
- Choose "Per part" in the block palette to give the base, shaft, capital, entablature and pediment each their own block, for example quartz with gold for the accents.
3D and layer-by-layer build plan
To Minecraft
Download the design as a schematic file and paste it into your world with WorldEdit, or rebuild it from a hologram in Litematica.
Shopping list
Add the amounts of this design to your list. There you see everything together, converted to stacks and shulker boxes.
How it is calculated
History and fun facts
From tree trunk to stone column
The first columns were probably wooden posts or tree trunks that held up a roof. Later they were made of stone.
In Egypt, columns had the shape of papyrus or lotus, plants of the Nile. The great hall of columns at Karnak is a famous example.
The Greek orders
The Greeks created fixed rules for columns: the orders. The Doric column is sturdy and simple. The Ionic has scrolls, called volutes, on the capital. The Corinthian has leaves of the acanthus plant.
Each order has its own proportions. A Doric column is about eight times as tall as it is wide, and a Corinthian about ten times.
Rome and Vitruvius
The Romans took over the orders and added the Tuscan and Composite orders. The Roman architect Vitruvius wrote about them in the 1st century BC in his book De architectura.
The Romans placed columns in front of temples, around squares and in long colonnades. A single column of honour, such as Trajan's Column, celebrated a victory.
Renaissance and Baroque
In the Renaissance, architects read Vitruvius again. Sebastiano Serlio listed the five orders in 1537, from Tuscan to Composite.
In the Baroque period, columns became grand and dramatic. Bernini built an oval colonnade around Saint Peter's Square in Rome, like two arms that welcome visitors.
Clever tricks of the builders
Greek columns are often slightly wider in the middle. This is called entasis. It stops a tall column from looking like it sags.
The grooves in the shaft, called flutes, make the column look slimmer and give nice shadows. A column was built from separate drums that were stacked on top of each other.
Did you know?
- Bernini's colonnade around Saint Peter's Square has 284 columns.
- Trajan's Column in Rome was set up in AD 113 and has a spiral staircase inside.
- According to Vitruvius, the sculptor Callimachus invented the Corinthian capital after seeing a basket with acanthus leaves.
- A Doric column usually has 20 flutes, an Ionic column usually 24.
- Greek Doric columns have no base: they stand directly on the floor.
About this tool
With this column planner you design classical columns in Minecraft, from a single column to a temple front or a whole colonnade. Each column has a base, a shaft and a capital made of blocks, stairs and slabs.
You choose from six orders: Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Composite and Egyptian papyrus. The shaft can be round, square, octagonal or fluted, with grooves made of stairs, another block or left open. You can set entasis (swelling) and tapering towards the top, and choose the height by the order or freely.
For a temple or colonnade you choose a straight row, a ring, an oval like Saint Peter's Square or a half ring. You set the column spacing, from pycnostyle to araeostyle, and the number of rows and steps. On top comes an entablature, a pediment (triangular, segmental, broken or attic) and optional acroteria.
The front view and the detail view of one column show you what to build on each layer. The build plan gives the number of blocks, stairs and slabs per row, and the 3D view shows the whole design. With the block palette you give base, shaft, capital, entablature and pediment each their own block. Then you download the design as a .schem file.
Examples such as the Parthenon, the Pantheon portico and the Maison Carrée help you get started. For a complete temple there is the temple generator.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a nice column in Minecraft?
Give the column a wide base and a capital that sticks out. Use upside-down stairs for the capital and stairs for the flutes. Choose a diameter of 3 or more, so there is room for details.
Which order should I choose?
Tuscan and Doric are sturdy and simple, good for a porch or a strong building. Ionic is more elegant. Corinthian and Composite are the richest and tallest, good for a palace or temple.
How do I place an upside-down stair?
Click on the upper half of the side of a block, or on the underside of a block. The stair is then placed upside down. In the build plan an upside-down stair has an open square.
How far apart should the columns be?
The tool uses the classical spacings, measured in diameters. Eustyle, 2¼ diameters, was already called the best by Vitruvius. Smaller looks dense and stately, larger looks open and light.
How many blocks do I need?
The counter shows the total, in stacks. The build plan gives the number of blocks, stairs and slabs per layer separately. With 'Add to my list' they go on your shopping list.
Can I build this in Bedrock?
The layer-by-layer build plan works in every edition, including Bedrock. The .schem file is for Minecraft Java Edition, with WorldEdit or Litematica.