Pantheon

So you’re just wandering through the twisty mediaeval streets of the centro storico, and as if the cobblestones and ivy weren’t enough, you turn the corner, and out of nowhere is this massive temple. That’s Rome for you.

The best preserved ancient structure in the city, the Pantheon as you see it now was built under Hadrian between AD 120-128 circa, although the pediment above the portico is actually 100 years older and signed by Agrippa (which did in fact confuse archaeologists and historians for years). The round temple, or rotunda, was built to honour the 12 most important classical gods and goddesses.

Of the 16 granite columns in front, all but three are original, as are most of the marble-decorated walls. Sunlight pours in through the oculous, a gaping hole with an 9-meter diameter and lights up the place in a dreamy kind of way—quite suited for a godly house. What happens when it rains? A discreet and complex drainage system in the floor whisks away the water, but there is a good bit of towelling up after a deluge.

In the 608, the Pantheon was converted to a Christian church when Byzantine Emperor Phocas offered it to the Pope as a gift. While it is now officially Saint Mary of the Martyrs, the Pantheon will always be the Pantheon.

Inside are the tombs of several worthy Italians, including Raphael and Italian King Vittorio Emanuele II, great unifier of Italy, and his son Umberto I. The structure was sacked relatively little with respect to the rest of the city, although ironically, in 1628, Pope Urban allowed Bernini to strip the bronze from the Portico and melt it down for his Baldacchio above the alter of Saint Peter’s.

Why Should I go
The dome of the Pantheon is the largest widest masonry dome in Europe (as tall as it is wide) and just barely trumps the dome of Saint Peter’s.

Where
Piazza della Rotonda. € Free. Buses: 30, 40, 46, or any buses to Largo Argentina.

 

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