Rotunda with fall foliage

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The Rotunda at the University of Virginia was designed by Thomas Jefferson as the architectural and academic heart of the University’s community of scholars. He named the University’s original buildings the “Academical Village.” As the phrase suggests, the Academical Village is based on the Jeffersonian principle that learning is a lifelong process, and that interaction between faculty and students is vital to the pursuit of knowledge.

Jefferson modeled the Rotunda after the Pantheon, a second-century temple in Rome. Construction began in 1822 and was completed in 1828, two years after Jefferson’s death on July 4, 1826. Built at a cost of almost $60,000, it was the last structure to be finished on the Lawn. Together with Monticello, the Academical Village is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Hours of Operation

The Rotunda is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Historical Tours: Historical Tours of the University of Virginia are currently unavailable. The Rotunda - A Guide for Visitors is available at each desk in English, Chinese, French, and Spanish. Feel free to explore our Visitors Center and experience a self-guided tour between the hours of 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily. Rotunda staff are available to answer questions and assist. 

Student Study Hours: During fall and spring semesters, the Rotunda is open to students for studying from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday - Tuesday, and until midnight during exams.

For more information about visiting the Rotunda, please call 434-924-7969.

Events

October 31, 2024
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5:00-7:00 p.m
The Lawn and Pavilions

This longtime tradition established by students in the late 1980s is open to children and families from the local community. Co-sponsored by  residents of the Lawn and Range communities, the residents

October 31 - November 2, 2024
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7 to 11 p.m.
Rotunda

Vignettes accompanied by haunting music will cycle over the outside of the centerpiece of the University, transforming the iconic building into a massive movie screen. The mini-shows might transform

November 10, 2024
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3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The Rotunda

In November 1824, the Marquis de Lafayette visited his dear friend Thomas Jefferson in Charlottesville. His visit was heralded with great fanfare, including a grand banquet at the Rotunda on the

In the News

Unveiling Ceremony Recalls, Honors Legacy of John Emmet’s Chemical Hearth

The University of Virginia’s chemical hearth has stepped into history.

The American Chemical Society officially designated the hearth, designed by University founder Thomas Jefferson and John Emmet, his first professor of natural sciences, as a National Historic Chemical Landmark. Built

The Bigger Picture: The Great Rotumpkin

"In the dark shadow of the grove, on the margin of the brook, he beheld something huge, misshapen, black and towering. It stirred not, but gathered up in the gloom like some gigantic monster ready to spring upon the traveler.”

UVA Architecture: Thomas Jefferson's Architectural Masterpiece – The Lawn at UVA

Each year, thousands of students and faculty members flock to the University of Virginia to learn and educate amongst this historic community.

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This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.
Thomas Jefferson, 1820