Pantheon ancient temple sightseeing, history and interesting facts

The Pantheon is a monument that I particularly wanted to visit while in Rome. Firstly, it is the best-preserved ancient building in the Eternal City, and secondly, many structures around the world are modelled after the Roman Pantheon, so the desire to see the original seems obvious.

The ancient temple standing in the Field of Mars attracts millions of tourists annually, so regardless of what time of year you visit Rome, you will never be alone around the Pantheon. The same is true for the Colosseum, the Roman Forum with the Palatine Hill, the Spanish Steps, and the Trevi Fountain.

The Pantheon and other temples of ancient Rome were like a gate to a heaven full of gods

The Ancient Romans, much like the Greeks before them, did not build temples solely for the purpose of worshipping their numerous gods. Roman temples had to be perfect and dazzling because it was believed that they reflected the heavens. It was widely held that gods dwelled in structures precisely like those built by people on Earth.

Therefore, the form, acoustics, and spatial design of sacred buildings in ancient Rome were meticulously planned so that the faithful could feel the divine presence and their place in the world of that time.

The Pantheon in Rome and its history

The word “pantheon” in the Greek language literally means “a temple of all gods.” The Roman Pantheon is one of the best-preserved ancient monuments not only in Rome but also throughout Europe. It was erected in the Field of Mars, a place in Rome entirely dedicated to one of the most important Roman gods, Mars.

The construction of the temple was commissioned by Emperor Hadrian, the same ruler under whose reign Roman legions attempted to conquer Britain. This endeavour was only partially successful, as the march of Roman forces northward was halted by the valiant warriors of the Pictish tribes inhabiting the present-day Scotland.

The resistance of these fierce warriors were strong enough that Emperor Hadrian ordered the construction of a defensive wall on the border of the conquered lands to protect them from numerous attacks by the northerners. This wall came to be known as Hadrian’s Wall and was not a source of pride for the emperor.

It is speculated that the failure of Roman forces in distant Britain contributed to the idea of building a grand temple in Rome, dedicated not only to the god of war, Mars, but also to other key Roman deities. Construction began in the year 118 and was completed in 125. The location chosen for the Pantheon was not arbitrary; a previous temple dedicated to Mars, built by Emperor Octavian, stood in that very spot.

The Pantheon of Rome and its architecture

After a great fire that consumed the previous temple, only the portico with a colonnade and a beam adorned with a foundation inscription survived, which remains a part of the Pantheon to this day. The rest of the building was reconstructed and significantly differs from the original temple. This time, a circular shape was decided for the building, creating a beautiful rotunda with a diameter of almost 44 meters and precisely the same height.

An essential part of the Pantheon is the massive portico leading to the temple, featuring sixteen colossal columns, with eight arranged in the front row. These columns support a pediment with a beam bearing the inscription:

M AGRIPPA L F COS TERTIVM FECIT

Built by Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, when he was consul for the third time

The portico, along with its decorations and tympanum, reaches a height of 25 meters.

An incredibly intriguing element of the Pantheon is the dome with a central opening, called the oculus. Its purpose was to reduce the weight of the dome, illuminate the interior of the building, and allow fresh air into the temple. The opening has a diameter of almost 8 meters, although it appears much smaller when viewed from inside the rotunda. The dome was constructed using unreinforced concrete and lightweight pumice, devoid of unnecessary embellishments to minimize weight. A network of coffers serves a reinforcing and stiffening role.

I marvelled at the remarkable knowledge of ancient engineers who enabled the construction of such immense buildings. Not only were they beautiful and functional, but they have also endured for thousands of years and will likely stand for much longer after we are gone.

The skill of Roman builders is evident in the technique used to place the massive concrete dome on the temple’s walls. Despite appearing monolithic and compact, the entire structure is flexible and devoid of unnecessary mass. This allows for minor movements of the entire construction due to temperature changes and other factors affecting the behaviour of ancient walls.

The interior of the Pantheon is filled with semicircular niches supporting the dome. Over the centuries, these niches were used as tomb chapels, where the remains of great figures from bygone eras found their final resting place.

While inside the Pantheon, pay special attention to the first chapel, where the remains of Perin del Vaga lie, considered the successor to the Renaissance master Raphael. Right next to it, you will find the tomb of Baldassare Peruzzi, another great Italian architect and painter.

In subsequent chapels rest figures such as King Humbert and Queen Margaret, and just behind them lies the tomb of Raphael himself, the world’s greatest painter. In another chapel lies Victor Emmanuel II, the King of Italy, whose name adorns the splendid gallery in Milan, which we have already written about in Our Trails.

If you observe the decorations of the Pantheon, you will notice a multitude of works of art, paintings, and sculptures created by great masters over many epochs. A visit to the Roman Pantheon is a fascinating journey and a grand adventure.

The Roman Pantheon in Christian times

The Pantheon has survived to the present day thanks to chance and extraordinary luck, for which we can thank the Byzantine Emperor Phocas, who, in 609, gifted the Pantheon to the then Pope Boniface IV. After much contemplation, the pope decided to adapt the ancient temple into a Catholic Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the Martyrs (Santa Maria ad Martyres).

Thanks to this decision, the Pantheon survived and avoided destruction, unlike many other temples of ancient Rome. Today, we know that Christians behaved like barbarians when they entered theatres, destroying everything that did not align with their world-view. Through such disgraceful actions, we irreversibly lost the monuments of the ancient world. Even worse, these negative traits accompanied the church for centuries and were clearly visible as Christians conquered lands, including our Slavic territories, by fire and sword.

During the reconstruction of the Pantheon, the interior was plundered of everything that held any value. Statues of ancient gods were toppled from their pedestals, replaced by images of saints. The once grand dome covering the Pantheon’s rotunda, adorned with intricately decorated bronze plates, was ordered to be removed and replaced with lead, while the old bronze decorations were repurposed for coin minting.

In the subsequent centuries, the Pantheon underwent several reconstructions. It served as a fortress and a prison, ultimately becoming a burial place for great and distinguished Italian citizens.

The Pantheon is still considered one of the most perfect domed structures of the ancient world, and its simplicity and beauty continue to serve as a model for many buildings worldwide.

Piazza della Rotonda and Fontana del Pantheon

While previously looking at the Pantheon in photographs, I formed the impression that it is in a spacious square. Imagine my surprise when it turned out that the square opposite the temple, called the Rotunda Square, is small, and the Pantheon itself looks somewhat squeezed between the surrounding buildings. However, despite the tight space, this place is very lovely and charming, especially when there are no crowds of tourists.

The adornment of the square, aside from the Pantheon, is the Fountain of the Pantheon (Fontana del Pantheon). The first fountain erected in this location was commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII. It had a purely utilitarian function, providing drinking water for the residents of this part of Rome. The current fountain was built in the 18th century by Pope Clement XI.

The fountain takes the form of an Egyptian obelisk covered with hieroglyphics, surrounded at the base by sculptures of marine and mythological creatures, as well as papal symbols. The fountain is not huge, but it looks beautiful, especially with the Pantheon as a backdrop.

Pantheon in Rome practical information

The Pantheon can be visited from Monday to Saturday between 8:30 AM and 7:30 PM. If you happen to be in Rome on a Sunday, you can visit the Pantheon from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

As always, dear traveller, I advise you to rise at dawn and start your adventure of exploring the Pantheon as early as possible. This way, you’ll avoid the dense crowd of tourists that passes through the temple regardless of the season.

The most spectacular time of the day is between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. During this time, the sun enters the rotunda through the opening in the dome, creating enchanting effects inside. It becomes even more interesting when it’s raining or snowing, as these elements can produce incredible visual effects, falling from the top of the dome to the floor.

The Pantheon is still an active Catholic Church, so it’s possible that there might be a Mass during your visit. Exploring is still possible during Mass, and it adds fascinating audio effects to the visual spectacle.

Pantheon Address: Piazza della Rotonda, 00186 Roma RM, Italy.

Currently, entrance to the Pantheon is free, but there are rumours that this might change in the upcoming season. The rumoured entrance fee is said to be 5 euros, but this is just speculation. Plan to spend about 30 minutes for a basic visit to the Pantheon, unless you want to examine this extraordinary temple more closely, in which case you could spend several hours there.

Guided tours of the Pantheon are also available. This form of exploration takes approximately 2 to 3 hours.

Pantheon in Rome interesting facts and information

• The Pantheon was sponsored by Emperor Hadrian in the year 125 AD.
• The word “Pantheon” is a Greek term meaning the “temple of all gods.”
• Apart from his military pursuits, Hadrian had a profound interest in architecture, to the extent that he personally designed elements of his villa in Tivoli.
• The Pantheon is a rotunda with a diameter of just under 44 meters and the same height.
• The entrance to the temple is marked by a colonnade with 16 large stone columns that survived from the earlier temple after a fire. The colonnade stands at a height of 25 meters.
• In 609 AD, the Pantheon was gifted to Pope Boniface IV, who converted it into a Christian church.
• Almost all ancient temples in Rome were destroyed by Christians.
• The Pantheon was the largest domed building of the ancient world.
• Even today, despite being built 2,000 years ago, the dome of the temple remains the largest concrete dome ever constructed.
• The Pantheon has been repeatedly looted of its decorations and details from antiquity. In 663 AD, bronze decorations from the dome were removed and replaced with lead. In 1632, Pope Urban VIII, fearing that Protestant upheavals across Europe might reach him, ordered the removal of all bronze decorative elements from the walls of the Pantheon and had them melted down to make cannons. Similar fates befell many elements of the interior of the temple. In those times, it was said in Rome that whatever the barbarians did not destroy in the city, the church did.
• In the 15th century, two small towers were added to the Pantheon to give it a more modern appearance. However, they were so unattractive that the residents of Rome called them “donkey ears.” After numerous petitions and efforts, they were dismantled and forgotten in 1883.
• The dome of the Pantheon features a nearly 8 meters diameter opening called the “oculus.” It served to illuminate the interior of the building and facilitate air circulation. The oculus is left uncovered, so rainwater enters the temple during storms; therefore, there are drainage holes in the floor under the skylight.
• On the floor of the Pantheon, there are 22 openings to drain rainwater that enters through the oculus.
• Inside the Pantheon, there are three chapels and four niches. The chapels are semicircular, and the side niches are rectangular.

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