Pantheon, Rome

Originally built in 27BC, destroyed by fire in 80AD, and rebuilt nearly 2000 years ago! We went for an early morning walk from the Spanish Steps across to the Pantheon - it was totally awesome to see this structure emerge from the cobbled streets!

The impressive cupola of the Pantheon is one of the few intact remnants of ancient Roman architecture, built by the Emperor Hadrian. It was dedicated to the worship of all gods and in later times (around 800) made a church. Its architecture style became a model for many other representative buildings around the world. The square in front of the Pantheon is the Piazza della Rotonda.

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You must go here - I'm not really interested in churches or religion but this is such an amazing space. It is definatly one of them things that needs to be seen to be believed. I really loved the way the sun shone through the big hole onto the inside of the pantheon.
After our visit we sat in the square outside which at times can be very busy. We was there when it was raining but it was still jam packed with people all trying to get a look at The Pantheon. There was a busker there playing his guitar which we were enjoying but the police told him to stop. This is the place you should start, as this is the oldest thing in Rome! It is in the middle of the city and when you turn the corner and see it for the first time, it is seriously something amazing and you have to take a double take at how truely amazing this building is. I can't tell you enough how much you need to go and see The Pantheon. You will truely kick yourself if you don't see it. f*

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One of Rome’s most famous sights, the Pantheon, was designed by Emperor Hadrianus back in the noble years of 118-125 (almost as yesterday…), and is of course most famous for the hole (oculus) in the dome that is the only source of light into the Pantheon. At least if you don’t count the door that always seems to be open to welcome another couple of hundred tourists into the monument.
At first it was a temple for all Rome’s different gods, but during the Middle Ages it was transformed into a church. I can’t really say that I got a church feeling inside me when I entered the building, but netherless it’s very impressive. Much more than I thought from the outside.
The building is a miracle in design, as it stop is as high as it’s diameter, 43,3 meters exactly. The hole in the Dome gives the whole interior a very bright lighting, and it gives the whole place a relaxed and calmed feeling.
Around in the church there are many graves, where the most famous one should be the one of Rafael, who is buried under the statue of the Madonnina.
Also the king that once united the whole Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, is buried here.

When I was inside the area under the hole was shut off for the tourists, as also the middle sections of the church. It made it feel a bit more like a tourist sight than an actual church, but it was netherless interesting to see the rain water on the floor, that showed once and for all (if anyone had doubted...) that the hole high up there was actually real.

Take some time to just walk around the circle and look at the different graves and statues. And of course, don't forget to look up in the dome, the pattern in it, and the famous hole.

The marble floor was restaurated back in 1873 and is still looking as it was originally. Something that nowadays is missing though are the two clock towers on the outside, that Bernini made. Not one of his most popular masterpieces I must say, as they were finally removed in 1883, after hundred of years of critism from the roman population.

The entrance is free.

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Piazza della Rotonda, the square outside the Pantheon, is also a sight for tourists and romans. The sides of the piazza is filled with restaurants and cafées, and it's a nice happening to sit down there and have something to eat, or just a beer/coffe.

Note though, that prices here are quite much higher than on other restaurants just around the corner, as those are less filled with tourists. But to sit down, have a beer, and look around at the people and the Pantheon, is a great thing to do for a while.

At the middle of the square you'll find Pantheon's fountain. It was built in 1575 by Jacopo della Porta, and the water is pouring out from different faces, both from men and from other sculptures. In 1711 it was rebuilt, and above the fountain an obelisk from Egypt was raised.

I have a slight feeling that the piazza and the Pantheon would do just as fine as now also without this fountain. But somehow it creates a bit of calmness to the square, through it's pouring water.

Most of the restaurants have rain shelters, so it's quite nice to sit at the piazza also when it's raining. Not so nice, though, when it's time to stand up and walk away... as seen on the photo.

The interior is simply breathtaking giving a sense of peace and an air of calm, despite the tourists flocking in and out through the great doorway.

For nearly two thousand years this building has stood in this spot, while around it battles have been fought and lost, carts have given way to cars and scooters. It's fascinating to stand in this oasis of calm, and to reflect on the changes that have taken place in the noisy city outside. Whatever else has changed, the Pantheon is one sight that would be thoroughly familiar to an ancient Roman transported into the twenty-first century.

Now the Pantheon is still a church and used for occasional services, concerts and poetry readings. It's free to enter, and is usually open during daylight hours. Outside, in Piazza della Rotunda, as well as a fountain, there are several restaurants and bars (expensive, but worth it for the view) and even a Macdonalds.

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The Pantheon is the best preserved of all ancient Rome. Built by Hadrian in 119-128 AD as a temple to the 12 most important classical deities, the building survived the ravages of the demise of the Roman Empire due to the fact that it became a Christian church in 608.

Amazingly, whilst certainly suffereing over time, the exterior has changed little since it was first built, and it retains its original Roman bronze doors. The interior has certainly changed a great deal, although the unsurpassed structure, where the dimensions of the dome, with the radius and height being equal, and the austere grandeur, creates an extraordinarily harmonious effect. The only light is provided by a hole in the roof (oculus) - a link between the Gods and the temple.

Of course, it was 'got at' thorughout history, including, when the Papal seat moved to Avignon in the 14th century, the Pantheon was used as a fortress and, of all things, a poultry market! It was during the 16th century onwards that the most radical changes were made - and these can be seen today, lining the lower walls. Frescoes and tombs - including those of Raphael and. more recently, Vittorio Emanuele II.

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The Pantheon stands as the most complete Roman structure on earth.

The name comes from two Greek words pan, "everything" and teon "divine". Originally, the Pantheon was a small temple dedicated to all Roman gods. Built between 25 and 27 B.C. by the consul Agrippa, Prefect of the Emperor Augustus, the present building is the result of subsequent, heavy restructuring.

The Pantheon is open from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday to Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on holidays that fall on weekdays except for Christmas Day, New Year's Day and May 1, when it is closed. Admission is free.