The Pantheon. Rome, Italy

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On my last day in Rome I visited the Pantheon. It was a great way finish my trip, with journey into Rome’s past.






The word pantheon means temple to all the gods. That describes not only the original purpose of the building, but also its history up to today. The original temple was constructed between 29-19 BCE by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, a Roman general. It was built to be a place to worship all of the gods of the Roman belief system. That building, and its replacement were both destroyed by fires, with only its facade and entryway surviving. In 114 CE, the emperor Trajan ordered the Pantheon rebuilt and hired Apollodorus of Damascus to design it. The temple was finished by Emperor Hadrian sometime after 117 CE. In 609 CE, the structure was consecrated as a Catholic basilica in the name of Saint Mary and the Martyrs, a role that it still holds today. As such, the Pantheon is considered to be the oldest, continuously used, religious building in the western world.



"Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, having been counsel for the third time, built this"



The Pantheon is a large rotunda constructed of Roman concrete. At it entrance is a portico lined by 16 columns that are 11.9 m (37 ft) tall. The dome is 43 m (142 ft) tall, forming an interior that could hold a sphere of that diameter. At its top is an oculus that is 30m in diameter. It is still the worlds largest unreinforced concrete dome. 



The Pantheon is still a functioning church, with mass held every Sunday morning. It is also the final resting place for two of Italy’s kings - Emmanuel Vittorio II and Umberto I, along with Umberto’s Queen Consort Margharita. 

Altar in The Oantheon
 
The roof and occulus







It beautiful interior and awesome 2000 year old architecture make the Pantheon a wonderful place to visit.

The plaza in front of the Pantheon was given a fountain by Pope Gregory during the 16th century. The fountain was designed by Giacomo Della Porta, and its details contain dolphins and grotesques spouting water. It is topped by an Egyptian obelisk that was created during the reign of Ramses II (1279-1213 BCE).







A block from the piazza are some buildings of the Italian Senate. Their entrances are guarded by an honor guard of soldiers in dress uniforms.






Also in the area is the Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi (Church of Saint Louis of the French). The church was consecrated in 1589, and still is the national church of the French in Rome. The church has many beautiful art works, but it is best known for its Contarelli Chapel which contains three masterpieces by Caravaggio - The Calling of Saint Matthew, Saint Matthew and the Angel, and The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew.

The Calling of St. Matthew

St. Matthew and the Angel


The Matyrdom of St. Matthew


Nuts and Bolts


  • Pantheon - Open every day, 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM. Entrance fee is €5/ €2 for EU residents. The line can get very long, and there are some “skip the line” tours available for a higher fee.
  • Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi - open every day 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM and 2:30 PM - 6:30 PM. Entrance is free. 
Location: Piazza della Rotonda, 00186 Roma RM, Italy

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