Pantheon, Rome

This is the Pantheon, where the last king of Italy and the builder of the Italian republic are buried. The building itself is very old and impressive, and it has NO ceiling at the very top of the cupola because -- according to what a Roman friend told me -- there was a mistake in the plans and, when they were about to finish building the cupola, they realized that the whole ceiling would crumble down due to its weight if they actually built the last part (the very top) of it. So they had to leave it like that - with a big hole on the top!

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When you first arrive in this tiny piazza you will be amazed by the enormity of the Pantheon, but when you go inside you will revel in its 2000 yr old genius. Built for the gods it seems that it was built by the gods. From the beautiful and massive dome to the tombs of kings and painters to the beautifully decorated marble columns right up to the gorgeous marble floor, the Pantheon is surely one of a kind. There is no entrance fee so if ever in Rome make this a must see.

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“I am not one of those who think it is well lighted by the hole at the top, which is about nine and twenty feet in diameter, although the author of the Grand Tour calls it but nine.”
— from “Travels through France and Italy,” 5.March.1765 by Tobias Smollett (1721-1771) writing about the Pantheon’s oculus

Emperor Hadrian rebuilt the Pantheon in AD 125 after a fire damaged the original erected in 27 BC by Marco Agrippa, the son-in-law of Augustus Caesar. The remains of Agrippa’s temple were incorporated into Hadrian’s plan.

The Pantheon’s 143-foot wide dome, wider than St. Peter’s, was built underground, or at least under a man-made hill of dirt; after completion, the dirt was removed. The dome is without supporting columns or outside buttresses. It rests on a concrete drum 20 feet thick, while a network of brick arches carries the weight.

The dome becomes increasingly thinner and lighter as it nears the top. At the base, heavy travertine is mixed in the concrete; tufa, a light volcanic stone, is used in the middle; finally, feather-light pumice composes the top.

Although it is never desirable to wish for rain when on vacation, on your Roman holiday if it does rain, get yourself to the Pantheon. You can marvel at the rain pouring through the round hole in the dome. Watch the water play upon the marble floor making the colors more intense. Those Ancient Romans were no fools: there is a drain in the center where it all washes away.

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The obelisk (6.34 meters) from the Temple of Isis faces the opposite side of the Pantheon, resting above a late Renaissance fountain. This spire, though, is much older: its hieroglyphs mention pharaoh Ramses II (13th century BC).

In the XVI century it stood in the square of St. Mateos.
At the beginning of 18 century, in 1711 by order of Pope Clement XI it was transported to his present location, in front of the Pantheon, adding itself to the remodeled fountain of the Pantheon, designed by Giacomo della Porta, in the square of the Rotonda, causes by some know it like the Rotonda obelisk.

In the top was decorated with a cross over a star, while the base of the obelisk received inscriptions of the papal coat of arms.

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Michelangelo looked at everything with an artist's critical eye, and he was not easily impressed. But when Michelangelo first saw the Pantheon in the early 1500s, he proclaimed it of "angelic and not human design." Surprisingly, at that point, this classic Roman temple, converted into a Christian church, was already more than 1350 years old.

The Pantheon, Also known as Chiesa di Santa Maria ad Martyres, is a building in Rome which was originally built as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome, and rebuilt circa 125 AD during Hadrian's reign.
The intended degree of inclusiveness of this dedication is debated. The generic term pantheon is now applied to a monument in which illustrious dead are buried. It is the best preserved of all Roman buildings, and perhaps the best preserved building of its age in the world. It has been in continuous use throughout its history.
The design of the extant building is sometimes credited to the Trajan's architect Apollodorus of Damascus, but it is equally likely that the building and the design should be credited to the emperor Hadrian or his architects. Since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Christian church. The Pantheon is currently the oldest standing domed structure in Rome. The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, 43.3 metres.

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 (oculus), the Great Eye, open to the sky.

The name comes from two Greek words pan, "everything" and teon "divine".

Also buried there are two kings of Italy: Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I, as well as Umberto's Queen, Margherita.

The Pantheon is still a church and masses are still celebrated in the church, particularly on important Catholic days of obligation, and for weddings.

I can't tell very much about the Pantheon's inside, because in the time, when we were visiting this ancient building, there was the restoration and big part of this was cloaked with the transparencys. But all this what we saw, this was great.
Especially I liked the Great Eye with the bright ray of light.

Open -
from 8:30 to 19:30 monday to saturday,
from 9:00 to 18:00 on Sunday,
and 9:00 to 13:00 on holidays that fall on weekdays except for Christmas Day, New Year's Day and May 1, when it is closed.

Admission is free.

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After seeing the Pantheon and Piazza della Rotonda do not go directly to Piazza Navona or Piazza di Montecitorio, take a moment and wander around small streets in this neighborhood.
From Piazza della Rotonda head towards the Church of S. Maria Maddalena, the Rococo facade of its building is amazing. Later go towards Via Metastasio and Via della Stelletta where lots of original stationary shops are located. You will be able not only to see how to make photo albums, but also to buy some extraordinary gifts.
From here you can go ether left to charming Via dell' Orso where many unique shops are or right to Via Campo Marzio and later to Piazza di San Lorenzo in Lucina to have lunch in Bar Ciampini.
This neighborhood with its charming architecture is very picturesque and worth-seeing.

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Because Rome is such an amazing historical city, with a wonder around every corner, and look! the Pantheon! Very nostalgic structure, since its in london, berlin, paris and others! The door on this one is massive, pure steel! Takes dozens of people to open and shut them. During roman times, it housed pagan gods of Zues and Neptune, Apollo, but today has precious Christian relics.

Notice the obelisque centering the fountain in the square. It came directly from Temple of Karnac in Egypt, as a gift from the Egyptians. awww. how nice!

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Pantheon is another attraction for visitors of Rome. The large dome with its middle open seems like an eye looking at the sky. I enjoy myself every time I visit Pantheon and my favorite is to watch the clouds passing by from the open part of the dome.