Due to a lack of written records, many unknowns surround the present-day Pantheon, including who designed it and how long its construction took. Today, the Pantheon continues to function as a church, as well as a major tourist destination. The present-day Pantheon is located on the site of an earlier structure of the same name, constructed around 25 B.
The original Pantheon was destroyed in a fire around 80 A. It was rebuilt by Emperor Domitian, only to be burned down again in A. Hadrian became emperor in , a time when the Roman Empire included much of present-day Europe, as well as parts of the Middle East and northern Africa. Passionate about art and architecture, he embarked on a building campaign during his reign, which lasted until his death in The wall measures 73 miles in length and stretches from coast to coast across modern-day northern England.
Evidence suggests the Pantheon was dedicated around A. No one knows the original purpose of the present-day Pantheon, but Hadrian sometimes held court there. Afterward, the Pantheon fell into a long period of disrepair. In , the German warrior Odoacer conquered the western half of the Roman Empire, where Rome was situated.
Mary and the Martyrs. It was the first Roman pagan temple to be consecrated as a Christian church. Made primarily from bricks and concrete, the Pantheon consists of three sections: a portico with granite columns, a massive domed rotunda and a rectangular area connecting the other two sections.
Measuring feet in diameter, the domed ceiling was the largest of its kind when it was built. At to the top of the dome sits an opening, or oculus, 27 feet in width. The oculus, which has no covering, lets light—as well as rain and other weather—into the Pantheon. The walls and floor of the rotunda are decorated with marble and gilt and the domed ceiling contains five rings of 28 rectangular coffers.
When the artist Michelangelo saw the Pantheon, centuries after its construction, he reportedly said it was the design of angels, not of man. The Pantheon proved an important influence for the great Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, as well as countless architects who followed, in Europe and beyond.
Thomas Jefferson modeled both Monticello —his home near Charlottesville, Virginia—as well as the Rotunda building at the University of Virginia , after the Pantheon.
The U. The marble floor, which features a design consisting of a series of geometric patterns, is still the ancient Roman original. The history of Pantheon was forever changed during the reign of Pope Urban VIII, who melted down every scrap of bronze located upon the ceiling, outraging a great deal of Roman citizens. They are 39 feet These columns were dragged more than km from the quarry to the Nile river on wooden sledges.
They were floated by barge down the Nile River when the water level was high during the spring floods, and then transferred to vessels to cross the Mediterranean Sea to the Roman port of Ostia. There, they were transferred back onto barges and pulled up the Tiber River to Rome. It is the only remain from the original temple built by Agrippa and it is believed that Hadrian left it as a gesture to his predecessor when he rebuilt the pantheon.
The Romans celebrated April 21 as the founding date of the city, and the impressive sight of their Emperor standing at the entrance of the Pantheon surrounded by light coming from inside the pantheon might have been seen as something that, in effect, raised their emperor to the level of the gods and invited him in to join them. Today it is a church dedicated to St. Mary of the Martyrs.
None the less it is called the Pantheon by virtually everybody and it seems to exist independent of religious rule but more of a tribute to the past.
It was designed by famous architecture Giacomo Della Porta in and sculpted out of marble by Leonardo Sormani. In , Pope Clement XI requested that the fountain be modified and had Filippo Barignoni design a new layout, which included a different basin, made of stone, and the obelisk of Ramses II set in the centre on a plinth with four dolphins decorating the base. We also take a few minutes to go inside and appreciate this wonder that as Michelangelo said, looks more like the work of angels, not humans.
Thank you. Thanks for the information. I have visited them both several occasions and loved the beauty of both of them. Very interesting to read! Thanks again. Thankss a lot, saved me the time and trouble of having to browse through other websites, greatly helped me to save time in my architecture project! Thank you for commenting! This is my first visit to Rome we travelled all the way from Barbados to visit your spectacular, iconic ancient city.
There is so much history, architecture and sheer beauty, to absorb. Thank you! Cool facts. Hearing that the pantheon is made out of something better but similar to concrete definitely gives me pause. I mean, we use concrete for everything.
We pump it up into the walls of skyscrapers and use it to build our roads. Made from bricks and concrete, the Pantheon consists of three sections: a portico with granite columns, a massive dome, and a rectangular area connecting the other two sections. It stretches The oculus opening that sits at the top of the dome, allows sun-light as well as other weather conditions to shine through into the Pantheon. This illuminates the dome above and the room below in an incredible light — a unique, and inspiring experience for any traveller.
This is bound to have an impression on anyone! Even Michelangelo said it was the design of angels, not man. As a result of its artistically beautiful interior and exterior architecture, the Pantheon has proved to be an important influence on great Renaissance architects, such as Andrea Palladio and countless others, its design spreading across Europe and beyond.
What is the Pantheon? Famed for its size, history and architecture, the Pantheon is one of the best preserved monuments of ancient Rome, situated in the Piazza della Rotonda. The Making of the Pantheon The exact date of the Pantheon is a mystery. The Dome of the Pantheon When visiting the Pantheon, cast your eyes upwards to the magnificent dome above your head.
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