Pantheon

The Pantheon is the best preserved building from ancient Rome and was completed in c. 125 CE in the reign
of Hadrian. Its magnificent dome is a lasting testimony to the genius of Roman architects and as the building
stands virtually intact it offers a unique opportunity for the modern visitor to step bac 2!""" years and
e#perience the glory that was $ome.
Function & Dedication
The purpose of the building is not nown for certain but the name! porch and pediment decoration suggest
atemple of some sort. %owever! no cult is nown to all of the gods and so the &antheon may have been designed
as a place where the emperor could mae public appearances in a setting which reminded onlooers of his divine
status! equal with the other gods of the $oman pantheon and his deified emperor predecessors.
The &antheon was built on the e#act site of two earlier &antheon buildings! one commissioned by 'arcus
(ipsanius )grippa *2+,25 -CE. and the second by Domitian. The first was destroyed by fire in /" CE and the
second was struc by lightning in 11" CE and again burned down. The third &antheon was probably begun in the
reign of Trajan *0/,11+ CE. but not finally finished until around 125 CE when %adrian was emperor.
1ollowing %adrian2s usual practice of dedicating rebuilt buildings and monuments in honour of the original
dedicator! the &antheon is dedicated to 'arcus )grippa and the prominent inscription on the porch fa3ade reads4
'. )5$I&&) 6.1. C78 TE$TI9' 1ECIT *'arcus )grippa! son of 6ucius! three,time consul! made this..
-elow the main inscription is a smaller one indicating the restorations carried out by Septimius
Severusand Caracalla in 2"2 CE and reads4 pantheum vetustate corruptum cum omni cultu restituerunt *with
every refinement they restored the &antheum! worn by age..
Exterior
The whole building stands on a 1.: m high base which originally e#tended a further + metres in front of the
colonnade. 8teps in ;umidian yellow marble e#tended from the outer ends of this base. The building consists of
two principal parts , the porch! which is very Classical Greek in presentation! and the circular main building
which is much more $oman in style and reminiscent of the architecture of the large Roman aths. The circular
building is built with bric and concrete but was originally faced with white marble stucco to match the porch in
appearance. The dome is concrete with the e#ternal surface originally covered in sheets of ron!e but these were
removed by Constans II in <<: CE.
The porch measures ::.1 # 1:.< m and presents a front colonnade of eight Corinthian columns 11./ m high.
The monolithic column shafts are in 'ons Claudianus and )swan grey granite with the bases and capitals in
white &entelic marble. The pediment above the columns is now empty but drill holes suggest there was
originally an emblem of some sort! possibly an eagle or wreath which would have been in gilded bron=e and
symbolised >upiter. The porch was faced with white &entelic marble and is decorated with reliefs showing
ob?ects used in religious sacrifices *such as dishes! bo#es and a#es.! garlands and candelabras. The interior of the
porch measures :@ # 2" m and has four rose,pin columns creating three aisles. The pavement is restored but
reflects the original design with grey granite rectangles and circles in white marble. The interior of the porch was
also panelled with marble but this has since been lost! revealing the bricwor.
"nterior
The &antheon may well be the first building from Classical architecture where the interior is deliberately made to
outshine the e#terior. The circular part of the building or rotunda was entranced via two bron=e doors measuring
12 # +.5 m *those of today are ancient but not original.. The rotunda measures @:.2 m in diameter which is
e#actly the ma#imum height of the dome! itself a perfect hemisphere. )t the very top of the dome is an opening
to the sy *oculus. which is /./ m in diameter and has a decorative bron=e sheet frie=e. The dome is made from a
light tufa and scoria *a type of pumice. mi# of concrete *caementa. and its interior is further lightened by five
rings of 2/ coffers which reduce in si=e as they rise towards the centre of the dome. These may have been
originally covered in bron=e sheets.
The #all of the rotunda is < metres thic and has seven alcoves which are alternatively semi,circular *:. and
rectangular *@.. The alcove opposite the door is the most impressive and reaches the ceiling. It has a decorative
red porphyry frie=e and cornice and is flaned by two Corinthian marble columns of &hrygian purple. Each of
the other alcoves has two marble columns in &hrygian purple *semi,circular. or ;umidian yellow *rectangular..
Each alcove also had three niches for statues and a small window with another seven windows placed around the
rotunda walls.
The pavement is the original and consists of a square pattern using grey granite! red porphyry! ;umidian yellow
and &hrygian purple marble.
$ater Histor%
The &antheon! lie all ancient monuments! has suffered a chequered history. ;evertheless! the building has
survived remarably well! probably because relatively early in its history it was converted into the church of 8t.
'ary of the 'artyrs in <"/ CE. In 12+" CE a bell tower was added to the porch roof and later removed. )lso! at
some time in the 'iddle )ges the left side of the porch was damaged which necessitated the replacement of
three columns. The first came from Aomitian2s villa at Castelgandolfo and was added in 1<2< CE. The other two
columns came from the -aths of &ero and were added in 1<<< CE. %owever! these additions were rose,pin in
colour whilst originally the front eight columns of the porch were all grey and only the internal four were pin
)swan. )lso in 1<2< CE &ope 9rban (III removed all of the bron=e girders from the porch roof and recast the
metal into /" canons for the cit%2s Castel 8ant2)ngelo. The presence of these girders suggests that the porch roof
originally had heavy marble tiles.
Aespite these changes the &antheon is one of the best preserved ancient monuments in the world and it still has
an important function and status today as within it are the toms of the Italian monarchy from 1/+",10@< CE
and another notable tomb is that of $aphael *1@/:,152" CE..