The Pantheon Rome, ItalyDrew Matthews and Cassi Lau

The Pantheon One of the wonders of the ancient world and one of

Rome’s most popular tourist attractions

It was once used as a temple to honor all gods and now used as a Roman Catholic church

Pantheon in Greek means “to honor all gods”

The inscription on the Pantheon reads:

"M·AGRIPPA·L·F·COS·TERTIVM·FECIT” which translates to "'Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, Consul for the third time, built this”

The Pantheon sits on the southern edge of

the Piazza Della Rotonda, one of the city's most famous

plazas

At the center of the plaza is a towering obelisk, which Pope Clement XI placed in

the early 1700s

The Piazza della Rotonda with its beautiful fountain designed by Giacomo Della Porta.

The Piazza della Rotonda is a lively square filled with cafes, bars, and restaurants.

History

Pantheon was first built by Augustus’s general Marcus Agrippa in 27 BC and later reconstructed by Emperor Hadrian in 125 AD

In 608 AD the Byzantine Emperor Phocas gave the building to Pope Boniface IV, who converted it to a Christian church, that was dedicated to “St. Mary and the Martyrs”

In the early 17th Century, Pope Urban VIII removed the bronze beams of the portico, using the bronze to construct the canopy that covers the altar at St. Peter’s Basilica

HistorySince the Renaissance the Pantheon has been used as a tomb

The building houses the tombs of two 19th Century kings Victor Emmanuel II and Umberto I

And also serves as the burial place of the painter Raphael

The most striking thing about the Pantheon is

the unity of the building

It is a marvel of architectural harmony

and proportion

Architecture

Beneath the light and between the granite Corinthian columns, seven sculptures stand

These Roman gods correspond to each of the seven planets (at the time) and remain in their original spots

Architecture

Columns

The ranks of columns consist of eight in the first

row, and two groups of four behind

The massive columns supporting the portico weigh 60 tons. Each is 39 feet tall

and 5 feet in diameter

They were made from stone quarried in Egypt

Oculus

The opening at the top of the Pantheon, the oculus, is nearly 30 feet in diameter and was the temples only source of light

The oculus also serves as a cooling and ventilation method

RotundaThe concrete dome is 4,535 metric tons

The top of the rotunda wall features a series of brick relieving arches, visible on the outside and built into the mass of the brickwork

Portico

A rectangular structure links the portico with the rotunda. In the walls at the back of

the portico were niches for statues of

Caesar, Augustus and Agrippa

The pediment was decorated with a sculpture in bronze showing the Battle of the Titans

The building was originally approached by a flight of steps. The ground level in the surrounding area has risen considerably since antiquity

Interior

The interior of the Pantheon was painted by Giovanni Paolo Panini in the 18th century

Each zone of the interior, from floor to ceiling, is subdivided according to a different scheme. As a result, the interior decorative zones do not line up.

Circles and squares form the unifying

theme of the interior design. The

checkerboard floor pattern contrasts with

the concentric circles of square coffers in the

dome

Religion

It’s possible that the Pantheon had an impact on Western religion

the Pantheon appears to be the first temple built with general public access in mind

Temples of the ancient world were generally limited only to specific priests

The Pantheon existed for all the people

The Pantheon is still used as a church today

Masses are celebrated there on important Catholic days of obligation and weddings

Getting there…