Ciniselli Circus, Circus building in Saint Petersburg, Russia

The Ciniselli Circus is a circus building on the Fontanka River Embankment in Saint Petersburg. Its dome spans 49.7 metres without internal supporting columns, and the ring is 13 metres in diameter. The hall seated 1,500 in boxes and parterre, with a gallery bringing capacity to 5,000. The facade has a peach-coloured two-level front with rusticated stonework, three arched windows framed by white columns, statues before each arch, and gold Cyrillic lettering on the frieze.

The building opened in 1877 as Russia's first permanent stone circus structure, built by Italian entrepreneur Gaetano Ciniselli. Its construction marked a turning point for Russian circus culture and established Saint Petersburg as a center for the art form.

The circus is still known as the Ciniselli Circus, a name restored in 2015 for the 200th anniversary of Gaetano Ciniselli's birth. Its two halls hold the world's first circus museum, opened in 1928 and holding over 80,000 exhibits by 2002. The building was also leased for non-circus events, including the 1898 World Wrestling Championship and Max Reinhardt's 1911 production of Oedipus Rex with Alexander Moissi.

The circus stands on the Fontanka embankment at the corner of the street, its peach facade with gold Cyrillic lettering facing the street; the projecting wing on the right carries the sign "ФОНТАН". The hall is entered from this side, and the round auditorium places the ring in the centre, so seats in the lower rows look straight across the arena. The building reopened on 18 December 2015 after reconstruction.

The dome was built using innovative construction methods that needed no supporting columns, giving all spectators an unobstructed view of the stage. This engineering solution was a notable achievement for its time and contributed to the venue's popularity.