Pantheon, Rome

The Pantheon is a magnificent ancient temple in Rome that was later converted into the church of Santa Maria ad Martyres. Dating from 125 AD, this is the most complete ancient building in Rome and one of the city's most spectacular sights.

The oculus, the only source of natural light in the Pantheon, is a round opening in the center of the dome. It is 27 feet in diameter and open to the sky (the floor is gently sloped to allow for runoff of rainwater).

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The Panteon should be on everyone's "must see" list when visiting Rome. When one enters the Piazza della Rotonda, the Fontana del Pantheon obstructs your view of one of the best preserved and one of the most architecturaly significant buildings of ancient Rome.

First it was the largest dome in the world until 1436 when the Duomo was built in Florence.
The Pantheon also contains what might be the first skylight with its' oculus, which opens to the outside. Rainwater freely flows through it and to the drains in the center. Notice the marble floor, which is the ancient Roman original.

The scripture on the outside of the building translates "Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, in his third consulate, made it." He was the son -in-law of Augustus. The first rendition, built in 27 B.C. was proof that this was a talented engineer. This insignia can be seen above the outside temple like portico that is supported by massive columns.

The first Pantheon was severly damaged and rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian. It is thought to have been molded from the original form. This included the huge double bronze doors, some 21 feet high.

Originally a temple for pagan gods (Pantheon means honor to all gods), it was later converted into a church. It houses the tomb of the Renaissance artist Raphael.

There is a tendency to walk in, look up, look down, and look around, and then leave. Consider going outside and walking along the wall to the side of the Pantheon to get a feel for its breath and depth. Walk back to the fountain, put your finger in the hole of the water fountain for some clear, cool water. Or go to one of the outdoor cafe's and take in how the hustle and bustle of those who work seem unaffected amidst one of the giants of antiquity.

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Pantheon Commentary
The Pantheon is one of the great spiritual buildings of the world. It was built as a Roman temple and later consecrated as a Catholic Church. Its monumental porch originally faced a rectangular colonnaded temple courtyard and now enfronts the smaller Piazza della Rotonda. Through great bronze doors, one enters one great circular room. The interior volume is a cylinder above which rises the hemispherical dome. Opposite the door is a recessed semicircular apse, and on each side are three additional recesses, alternately rectangular and semicircular, separated from the space under the dome by paired monolithic columns. The only natural light enters through an unglazed oculus at the center of the dome and through the bronze doors to the portico. As the sun moves, striking patterns of light illuminate the walls and floors of porphyry, granite and yellow marbles.

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This temple was built in 27 BC, then destroyed by fire in 80 AD. It was then rebuilt under the emperor Hadrian. Later emperors modified it. It was built to honor all pagan deities worshipped by the Romans. The Catholic Church made it into a church, adding the bones of early martyrs brought from the Catacombs, in 690 AD. Under the Lateran Treaty of 1929, it became a national church.

This is the only intact structure left in Rome by the ancient Romans. It remains one of the city's true marvels.

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Hailed as one of the most perfect buildings in the world for its symmetry, the Pantheon is also one of the best-preserved ancient buildings in Rome. Built in the 1st century AD it was intended as a temple to all gods. Today it houses the tombs of well-known Italians such a Raphael and the founder of modern day Italy, Vittorio Emmanuel II.

The hemispherical dome is one of the most amazing features of the Pantheon. Inside, you could feel its immensity and the vast space beneath the dome. And for shutter-happy tourists, the Pantheon is a perfect subject both within and outside that lends itself beautifully to the photographer-tourist's eyes.

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The Pantheon was built by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome, and rebuilt in the early 2nd century AD. A near-contemporary writer, Cassius Dio, speculates that the name comes from the statues of many gods placed around the building, or from the resemblance of the dome to the heavens.

The building is circular with a portico of three ranks of huge granite Corinthian columns (eight in the first rank and two groups of four behind) under a pediment opening into the rotunda, under a coffered, concrete dome, with a central opening to the sky. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, 142 ft. A rectangular structure links the portico with the rotunda. It is one of the best preserved of all Roman buildings. It has been in continuous use throughout its history.

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The Pantheon is the glory of Rome - it is the city's only architecturally intact monument from the classical times. It was built by Agrippa in 27 BC and dedicated to the gods of the Julian family. The portico has 16 monolithic granite columns. Light enters through an opening at the top of the dome - an oculus 9m across through which the sky seems to descend to the temple. The ceiling of the dome was originally covered by bronze but taken down by Pope Urban VIII and used for the baldacchino in St Peter's basilica. There is a tomb containing the remains of Raphael.

One of the oldest standing structures in the world, the Pantheon is quite a site, admission if free and the surrounding piazza is one of the coolest in all of Rome. Give yourself about an hour here !!!!