Search
  • Home
  • Travel & Adventure
  • Travel Tips
  • Art & Artists
  • People & Culture
  • History & Discovery
  • City Guides
  • About
  • Contact
Close
Menu
Search
Close
  • Home
  • Travel & Adventure
  • Travel Tips
  • Art & Artists
  • People & Culture
  • History & Discovery
  • City Guides
  • About
  • Contact
Menu

The Anthrotorian

February 25, 2012

The History of The Roman Pantheon

by Lindsay Shapka in History, Travel, Discovey


The Pantheon in Rome, one of the city’s most well preserved ancient buildings, has always been one of my favorite sites to visit. This is not just because of its breathtaking architecture and famous tombs (the artist Raphael is buried there) but because of what it once represented.

Originally, it was built as a temple to the Olympian gods (Pantheon literally means ‘all gods’) as a place where people who had different beliefs could gather and worship together. It was completed under the patronage of Hadrian between 125 and 128 CE and was constructed on the spot of a previous temple, built by Agrippa in 27 BCE, that had burnt down a few years earlier.

​After passing through a series of massive marble columns, visitors to the temple enter an enormous circular room ( called a rotunda) with walls that are 20 feet (!) thick and a floor covered in huge slabs of colorful marble. The marble extends to the exterior of the room where it is joined by decorative columns and pilasters. 

The original 7 niches, once containing statues of the gods, are still there but now sit empty or hold Christian relics. In 609 CE, Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon as the Christian Church of St Mary and the Martyrs. Though this wiped away the building’s original purpose of being inclusive to ‘all gods’, it ensured it’s survival through the Middle Ages when Pagan temples were being destroyed. 

​The interior dome of the Pantheon is a staggering 143 feet in diameter and has patterns cut into it that may have once contained gilded bronze rosettes or stars to mimic the night sky. The central opening, called and oculus, is 29 feet wide and lets the sun and rain fall through it equally. Small holes in the marble floor beneath the opening, placed there by the original engineer, drain any water that falls. 

What most visitors don’t know is that there were once gilded bronze roof tiles inset into the remarkable ceiling. Unfortunately, they were looted and removed by an emperor from the Eastern/Byzantine Empire around 500CE and in the 17th century Pope Urban VIII had them melted down. He then gave some of the bronze to Bernini who created the baldaccino (canopy), that can be currently seen over the main alter in St Peter’s cathedral, and used the rest to have 80 cannons for Castel Sant’Angelo made. 

The Pantheon is open to visitors seven days a week and there is no charge to enter. 

Related Posts

  • What’s The Difference Between The Paris Pantheon and The Roman Pantheon

  • The Paris Catacombs: Exploring The Empire of Death

  • Exploring The Covered Passages In Paris

  • The Eiffel Tower: Art or Eyesore?

  • Don't Sit Down When Dining in Rome!

  • Art or Eyesore? The "Wedding Cake" Building in Rome

Check out the latest posts!

About Lindsay Shapka.jpg

Explore the world with me!
Subscribe to The Anthrotorian’s Newsletter.

The Anthrotorian will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you through monthly email newsletters. Clicking “Subscribe” allows us to send you these emails. You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at TheAnthrotorian@gmail.com. We will treat your information with respect.

You’re almost done! Check your email to confirm your subscription.

Thanks for signing up!


Travel & Adventure Blog Feed
Ait Ben Haddou travel tale.png
Set-Jetting Locations.png
2025 travel trends.png
Europe Travel Regulations 2025.png
Tourist Scams to Watch For
Tips for visiting the Louvre
The best travel quotes from around the world.png
What not to do on a plane
2.jpg

TAGS: Travel, The Pantheon, Rome, history, religion, tourist site, adventure, architecture, art, artists, history3


  • Previous Post
    Greek, White and Blue: ...
  • Next Post
    When This Was A School, ...
It’s coming…….. #snowwwwwwwww #winteriscoming
I’m good at three things…. #travel #coffee #travellinganddrinkingcoffee
Soaking in every last minute of summer I can!

About    
Contact 
Archive    
Press + Publications 

Paris Travel
Book Reviews
Travel Quotes

Explore the world with me — subscribe to The Anthrotoran’s newsletter!

The Anthrotorian will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you through monthly email newsletters. Clicking “Subscribe” allows us to send you these emails. You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at TheAnthrotorian@gmail.com. We will treat your information with respect.

Thank you!

Copyright © 2012–2025 The Anthrotorian. All rights reserved. Do not use or reproduce without permission.