Pantheon

The Pantheon is a building in Rome which was built as a temple of all the gods of ancient Rome. Pantheon in Latin means “temple of all gods”. The Pantheon is the best preserved building in comparison to all roman buildings and it has been uninterrupted since 2nd century AD. Pantheon holds the record for the largest non-reinforced dome in the history of architecture. Originally, Pantheon was built as a roman temple, but later it was converted to a Catholic Church. The most amazing thing to know is that the height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same (43.3 meters).

The original Pantheon was built in 27 B.C., but due to the huge fire, most of the buildings got destroyed along with Pantheon. The Pantheon building which we see today was actually reconstructed in 125 A.D, during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. Pantheon was totally reconstructed with the text of original inscription on the bricks. Before the current Pantheon, there were two other buildings occupying same site. The very first building was traditional rectilinear, t – shaped structure which was built in 27 B.C by the emperor Marcus Agrippa who is a son-in-law of Emperor Augustus. The temple was dedicated to the gods, Mars and Venus. The most important problem faced by Romans during its construction was the massive weight of the large dome. The huge columns of Pantheon were brought from Egypt which weighed 60 tons. The Pantheon contains the tombs of Raphael and of several kings of Italy.

The Pantheon building is ring-shaped with three ranks of huge granite pillars under a space into the rotunda under a coffered, solid dome, with a central opening (oculus), the Great Eye, open to the sky. Orthogonal building loops the portico with the rotunda. Though often still drawn as a free standing building, there was a building at its rear into which it is adjoined; of this structure there are only archaeological remains.

Open:
Monday-Saturday: 8:30 am – 7:30 pm
Sunday: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

Fees: Free

Rome Famous Landmarks