Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. The World History Encyclopedia logo is a registered trademark. It has a decorative red porphyry frieze and cornice and is flanked by two Corinthian marble columns of Phrygian purple. The first Pantheon caught fire around 80 A.D. and was rebuilt . While this building helped buttress the rotunda, there was no interior passage from one to the other. The overall effect is immediate viewer orientation according to the major axis of the building, even though the cylindrical space topped by a hemispherical dome is inherently ambiguous. [66], Circles and squares form the unifying theme of the interior design. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. [68], The dome photographed with a fisheye lens in 2016, Tomb of King Victor Emmanuel II, "Father of the Country", On 23 July 1725, the Pantheon was established as Cardinal-deaconry of S. Maria ad Martyres, i.e. World History Publishing is a non-profit company registered in the United Kingdom. The Pantheon's architecture is groundbreaking: Its interior is solely lit by sunlight which enters through the "oculus" in the roof. The Pantheon artfully synthesizes a . The portico and dome combination has influenced Western architectural design for centuries. The 4,535-tonne (4,463-long-ton; 4,999-short-ton) weight of the Roman concrete dome is concentrated on a ring of voussoirs 9.1 metres (30ft) in diameter that form the oculus, while the downward thrust of the dome is carried by eight barrel vaults in the 6.4-metre-thick (21ft) drum wall into eight piers. Romans were able to create interior spaces that had previously been unheard of. [25], The Augustan Pantheon was destroyed along with other buildings in a fire in 80 AD. [13] Livy wrote that it had been decreed that temple buildings (or perhaps temple cellae) should only be dedicated to single divinities, so that it would be clear who would be offended if, for example, the building was struck by lightning, and because it was only appropriate to offer sacrifice to a specific deity (27.25.710). Pantheon dome (photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. World History Encyclopedia. From above, the Pantheon's 19-foot oculus, the hole at the top of the dome, is an obvious opening to the elements. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. The Pantheon in Rome is a true architectural wonder. License. It has seven niches or circular vaults (apses) dedicated to different deities. "The cementing materials properly cured and gained strength to support the next upper ringEach ring was built like a low Roman wallThe compression ring (oculus) at the center of the domeis made of 3 horizontal rings of tile, set upright, one above the otherThis ring is effective in properly distributing the compression forces at this point.". It is also known as the Madonna of the Railing, because it originally hung in the niche on the left-hand side of the portico, where it was protected by a railing. The first niche to the right of the entrance holds a Madonna of the Girdle and St Nicholas of Bari (1686) painted by an unknown artist. "[44] Specifically, the innermost row of columns would be blocked by the main body of the temple, and in the later stages of construction some already-erected columns would inevitably obstruct the erection of further columns. [15] It seems likely that the Pantheon and the Basilica of Neptune were Agrippa's sacra privata, not aedes publicae (public temples). romewise.com romewise.com Menu Home 2023 Events May June July August September October Colosseum Vatican Where to Stay Where to Eat The Pantheon: still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. In 1270 a bell tower was added to the porch roof and later removed. When it was believed that Hadrian had fully overseen the Pantheons design, doubt was cast on the possibility of Apollodorus role because, according to Dio, Hadrian had banished and then executed the architect for having spoken ill of the emperors talents. Portoghesi designed the Mosque of Rome.. Paolo Portoghesi, the renowned Italian architect, died on Tuesday 30 May aged 92. "[22], The only passages referring to the decoration of the Agrippan Pantheon written by an eyewitness are in Pliny the Elder's Natural History. Steps in Numidian yellow marble extended from the outer ends of this base. The bust is a portrait of Cardinal Agostino Rivarola. It has this name, perhaps because it received among the images which decorated it the statues of many gods, including Mars and Venus; but my own opinion of the name is that, because of its vaulted roof, it resembles the heavens. [8] His uncertainty strongly suggests that "Pantheon" (or Pantheum) was merely a nickname, not the formal name of the building. Pantheon, Rome, c. 125 C.E. A rectangular vestibule links the porch to the rotunda, which is under a coffered concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus) to the sky. The only definite pantheon recorded earlier than Agrippa's was at Antioch in Syria, though it is only mentioned by a sixth-century source. Agrippa's Pantheon burned down in A.D. 80 All that remains is the front portico, with this inscription: In Latin, fecit means "he made," so Marcus Agrippa is forever associated with the Pantheon's design and construction. The chapel was originally dedicated to St Michael the Archangel, and then to St. Thomas the Apostle. The rotunda measures 43.2 metres or 141.7 feet in diameter which is exactly the maximum height of the dome, itself a perfect hemisphere. ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/influencial-architecture-of-the-pantheon-177715. [30][31] This now-barely legible inscription reads: In 609, the Byzantine emperor Phocas gave the building to Pope Boniface IV, who converted it into a Christian church and consecrated it to St. Mary and the Martyrs on 13 May 609: "Another Pope, Boniface, asked the same [Emperor Phocas, in Constantinople] to order that in the old temple called the Pantheon, after the pagan filth was removed, a church should be made, to the holy virgin Mary and all the martyrs, so that the commemoration of the saints would take place henceforth where not gods but demons were formerly worshipped. Described as the "sphinx of the Campus Martius"referring to enigmas presented by its appearance and history, and to the location in Rome where it was builtto visit it today is to be almost transported back to the Roman Empire itself. Pope Urban VIII (1623 to 1644) ordered the bronze ceiling of the Pantheon's portico melted down. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. The circular building is built using brick and concrete but was originally faced with white marble stucco to match the porch in appearance. The Pantheon is one of the most impressive historical and architectural sites in the centre of Rome. 1 of 8. Then, in A.D. 126, Roman Emperor Hadrian completely rebuilt the Pantheon into the Roman architectural icon we know today. Pantheon, Rome, c. 125 C.E. Famous buildings modeled after the Pantheon in Rome include the U.S. Capitol, the Jefferson Memorial, and the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. Thomas Jefferson was a promoter of the Pantheon's architecture, incorporating it into his Charlottesville, Virginia home at Monticello, the Rotunda at the University of Virginia, and the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. 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 bronze and symbolised Jupiter. The presence of these girders suggests that the porch roof originally had heavy marble tiles. Romans liked to combine aspects of Etruscan architecture with Greek architecture, and this kind of thing can be seen a lot. https://www.worldhistory.org/Pantheon/. The Pantheon is one of today's best-preserved buildings from ancient Rome. The Pantheon was never early Christian architecture, yet the structure was in the hands of the reigning Christian Pope. Its date of construction is uncertain, because Hadrian chose not to inscribe the new temple but rather to retain the inscription of Agrippa's older temple, which had burned down. 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 Roman in style and reminiscent of the architecture of the large Roman baths. Please note that some of these recommendations are listed under our old name, Ancient History Encyclopedia. [74], This article is about the Pantheon, Rome. It was moved to the Chapel of the Annunciation, and then to its present position sometime after 1837. The architecture Pantheon Rome. [9] In fact, the concept of a pantheon dedicated to all the gods is questionable. It is this version which still stands today in central Rome. The third niche holds the mortal remains his Ossa et cineres, "Bones and ashes", as the inscription on the sarcophagus says of the great artist Raphael. The 1937 Manchester Central Library in England is another good example of this neo-classical architecture being used as a library. The monolithic column shafts are in Mons Claudianus and Aswan grey granite with the bases and capitals in white Pentelic marble. The Pantheon in Rome is a true architectural wonder. Cartwright, Mark. Piranesi in Rome Exterior Front, exterior view of the Pantheon. Pantheon Rome - A Look at the Roman Pantheon's Architecture by artincontext October 27, 2022 in Architecture T he Pantheon in Italy is arguably the most influential building of all time. The other two columns came from the Baths of Nero and were added in 1666. In fact, many locals visit the Pantheon regularly to take in the perfection of this architectural wonder. Each alcove also had three niches for statues and a small window with another seven windows placed around the rotunda walls. Explore the architecture and art of the Pantheon, interacting with the contents: listen to the audio tracks and watch the videos by clicking on the colored pins. This hole is 9 meters in diameter. Even more, the Pantheon was also aligned on axis, across a long stretch of open fields called the Campus Martius, with Augustus mausoleum, completed just a few years before the Pantheon. The Pantheon in Rome, Italy should not be confused with the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Craven, Jackie. The interior of the porch measures 34 x 20 metres and has four rose-pink columns creating three aisles. Built at the height of the Roman Empire, Agrippa's Pantheon was used to promote the emperor's power and legitimacy. "The Influential Architecture of the Pantheon in Rome." Since the Renaissance the Pantheon has been the site of several important burials. The pavement is restored but reflects the original design with grey granite rectangles and circles in white marble. Although both were originally temples to gods, the Greek Parthenon temple, atop the Acropolis, was built hundreds of years before the Roman Pantheon temple. The checkerboard floor pattern contrasts with the concentric circles of square coffers in the dome. One approaches the Pantheon through the portico with its tall, monolithic, Reconstruction by the Institute for Digital Media Arts Lab at Ball State University, exterior of the Pantheon, Rome, c. 125 C.E. Written sources suggest the building was damaged by fire around 80 C.E. De Agostini Picture Library / Getty Images (cropped). The institution still exists, and is now called the Academia Ponteficia di Belle Arti (The Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts), based in the palace of the Cancelleria. Each was 11.9 metres (39ft) tall, 1.5 metres (4ft 11in) in diameter, and 60 tonnes (59 long tons; 66 short tons) in weight. Its magnificent concrete dome is a lasting testimony to the genius of Roman architects. The architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White were well-known for their neoclassical buildings throughout the U.S. Their Rotunda-inspired domed library at Columbia Universitythe Low Memorial Library built in 1895inspired another architect to build the Great Dome at MIT in 1916. Certainly the word pantheus or pantheos, could be applicable to individual deities. [58] It is the only masonry dome to not require reinforcement. Craven, Jackie. [16] The former would help explain how the building could have so easily lost its original name and purpose (Ziolkowski contends that it was originally the Temple of Mars in Campo)[17] in such a relatively short period of time.[18]. [12] Dio does not quote the simplest explanation for the namethat the Pantheon was dedicated to all the gods. The original structure was built primarily out of wood and subsequently burnt down about 100 years . Behind the tomb is the statue known as the Madonna del Sasso (Madonna of the Rock) so named because she rests one foot on a boulder. Despite these changes the Pantheon is one of the most famous buildings, and certainly the best-preserved ancient monument, in the world and it still has an important function and status today as within it are the tombs of the Italian monarchy from 1870-1946 and another notable tomb is that of Raphael (1483-1520). It was this domed ceiling most of all that influenced a young Thomas Jefferson, who brought the architectural idea to the new country of America. The porch measures 33.1 x 13.6 metres and presents a front colonnade of eight Corinthian columns 11.8 metres high. The Pantheon's large circular domed cella, with a conventional temple portico front, was unique in Roman architecture. [39] The only other loss has been the external sculptures, which adorned the pediment above Agrippa's inscription. The present design is by Giuseppe Sacconi, completed after his death by his pupil Guido Cirilli. 1. We know very little about what happened to the Pantheon between the time of Emperor Constantine in the early fourth century and the early seventh centurya period when the city of Romes importance faded and the Roman Empire disintegrated. It was originally dedicated to the Holy Spirit. Renaissance Architecture and Its Influence, Architecture in Italy for the Lifelong Learner, Andrea Palladio - Renaissance Architecture, A Pediment Can Make Your Home a Greek Temple, Organic Architecture from Frank Lloyd Wright to Modernist, Wonders of the World - Winners and Finalists, Architecture in France: A Guide For Travelers, Doctor of Arts, University of Albany, SUNY, M.S., Literacy Education, University of Albany, SUNY, B.A., English, Virginia Commonwealth University. It has also been argued that the scale of the portico was related to the urban design of the space in front of the temple.[45]. But it is the Pantheon's dome complete with an open hole at the top, called an oculusthat has made this building the important architecture it is today. The Pantheon: Temple or Rotunda? in. [56] The oculus at the dome's apex and the entry door are the only natural sources of light in the interior. They are called "relieving arches" or "discharging arches.". The present high altars and the apses were commissioned by Pope Clement XI (17001721) and designed by Alessandro Specchi. On the left wall is a Descent of the Holy Ghost (1790) by Pietro Labruzi. [48] Thus, it was necessary to either drag them or to move them on rollers to the construction site. In the early decades of the 20th century, a piece of the original, as far as could be reconstructed from Renaissance drawings and paintings, was recreated in one of the panels. Sunlight streaming through the oculus illuminates the Pantheon rotunda. The bust of Raphael (1833) is by Giuseppe Fabris. Later construction raised the level of the ground leading to the portico, eliminating these steps. Reconstruction by the Institute for Digital Media Arts Lab at Ball State University, interior of the Pantheon, Rome, c. 125 C.E. The dome features sunken panels (coffers), in five rings of 28. St. Pauli Piers: Our most recommended tours and activities. It's not the Pantheon's facade facing the Italian piazza that makes this architecture iconic. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. It was built sometime between 126 and 128 A.D. during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, who was emperor from 117 to 138 A.D. "It was a reign largely marked by peace . This may be evidence that the portico was intended to be taller than it is (50 Roman feet instead of the actual 40 feet). She is the author of two books on home decor and sustainable design. [64][65] In antiquity, the coffers may have contained bronze rosettes symbolising the starry firmament. [50] Later analysis of the fusion technique confirmed that these are the original Roman doors,[49] a rare example of Roman monumental bronze surviving, despite cleaning and the application of Christian motifs over the centuries. The Roman Pantheon was originally built as a temple for all the gods. [1], In the aftermath of the Battle of Actium (31 BC), Marcus Agrippa started an impressive building program: the Pantheon was a part of the complex created by him on his own property in the Campus Martius in 2919 BC, which included three buildings aligned from south to north: the Baths of Agrippa, the Basilica of Neptune, and the Pantheon. The shafts were simply too long to be positioned on the floor in a workable configuration, regardless of sequence. Even today, the building stands as a lasting reminder of imperial glory. The porch was faced with white Pentelic marble and is decorated with reliefs showing objects used in religious sacrifices (such as dishes, boxes and axes), garlands and candelabras. It is also said that the bronze was used by Bernini in creating his famous baldachin above the high altar of St. Peter's Basilica, but, according to at least one expert, the Pope's accounts state that about 90% of the bronze was used for the cannon, and that the bronze for the baldachin came from Venice. The Pantheon in Rome is a true architectural wonder. 28 is a perfect number, a whole number whose summed factors equal it (thus, 1 + 2 + 4 + 7 + 14 = 28). He was thought to have abandoned the idea of simply reconstructing Agrippas temple, deciding instead to create a much larger and more impressive structure. The concrete easily allowed for spaces to be carved out of the walls thicknessfor instance, the alcoves around the rotundas perimeter and the large apse directly across from the entrance (where Hadrian would have sat to hold court). You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. It allows sunlight into the temple room below it, but also allows rain to the interior, which is why the marble floor below curves outward to drain the water. The third Pantheon was probably begun in the reign of Trajan (98-117 CE) but not finally finished until around 125 CE when Hadrian was emperor, who often convened the Roman Senate there. 19.10), but the current inscription could not be a copy of the original; it provides no information as to who Agrippa's foundation was dedicated to, and, in Ziolkowski's opinion, it was highly unlikely that in 25 BC Agrippa would have presented himself as "consul tertium." a titular church for a cardinal-deacon. Instead, it may have been intended as a dynastic sanctuary, part of a ruler cult emerging around Augustus, with the original dedication being to Julius Caesar, the progenitor of the family line of Augustus and Agrippa and a revered ancestor who had been the first Roman deified by the Senate. The top of the rotunda wall features a series of brick relieving arches, visible on the outside and built into the mass of the brickwork. Artist's Impression of the PantheonMohawk Games (Copyright) The Pantheon (UK: /pnin/, US: /-n/;[1] Latin: Pantheum,[nb 1] from Greek Pantheion, "[temple] of all the gods") is a former Roman temple and, since 609AD, a Catholic church (Basilica di Santa Maria ad Martyres or Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs) in Rome, Italy, on the site of an earlier temple commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27BC 14AD). The early influencers of Roman architecture were the Etruscans, who lived in the area that is now . Cartwright, Mark. However, the Pantheon was dedicated to all gods believed in Rome. The large bronze doors to the cella, measuring 4.45 metres (14.6ft) wide by 7.53 metres (24.7ft) high, are the oldest in Rome. Among those buried there are the painters Raphael and Annibale Carracci, the composer Arcangelo Corelli, and the architect Baldassare Peruzzi. In Paris, France, the 18th-century Panthon was originally a church, but today is best known as the final resting place for many famous FrenchmenVoltaire, Rousseau, Braille, and the Curies, to name a few. Find out about its unique architecture, what it was built for, and the best way to visit it today! It was commissioned by Raphael and made by Lorenzetto in 1524. Craven, Jackie. The Pantheon located in Rome, on the other hand, is a product of Hadrian's passion in the field of religious structure. If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website. Giovanni Paolo Panini, Interior of the Pantheon, Rome. The present arrangement is from 1811, designed by Antonio Muoz. Lexington books, Toronto, 2007, Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, M[arcus] Aurelius Antoninus Pius Felix Aug[ustus], National Institute for the Honour Guard of the Royal Tombs of the Pantheon, National Institute of Honour Guards to the Royal Tombs, S. Apollinare alle Terme Neroniane-Alessandrine, "Nuova guida metodica di Roma e suoi contorni Parte Terza ("New Methodic Guide to Rome and Its Suburbs Third Part")", "Another view of the interior by Panini (1735), Liechtenstein Museum, Vienna", "Pantheon, The ruins and excavations of ancient Rome", "Hooping as an Ancient Remedy for Conservation of Large Masonry Domes", Official webpage from Vicariate of Rome website, Toms Garca Salgado, "The geometry of the Pantheon's vault", Panoramic Virtual Tour inside the Pantheon, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pantheon,_Rome&oldid=1157458540, High-resolution 360 Panoramas and Images of, This page was last edited on 28 May 2023, at 19:00. Giuseppe Sacconi participated, but lost he would later design the tomb of Umberto I in the opposite chapel. [56] These dimensions make more sense when expressed in ancient Roman units of measurement: The dome spans 150 Roman feet; the oculus is 30 Roman feet in diameter; the doorway is 40 Roman feet high. The wooden crucifix on the altar is from the 15th century. For more info: info@pantheonroma.com tel :+39 347 8205204 I only during opening hours. Most textbooks and websites confidently date the building to the Emperor Hadrians reign and describe its purpose as a temple to all the gods (from the Greek, pan = all, theos = gods), but some scholars now argue that these details are wrong and that our knowledge of other aspects of the buildings origin, construction, and meaning is less certain than we had thought. Related Content [26], The degree to which the decorative scheme should be credited to Hadrian's architects is uncertain. As a result of excavations in the late 19th century, archaeologist Rodolfo Lanciani concluded that Agrippa's Pantheon was oriented so that it faced south, in contrast with the current layout that faces north, and that it had a shortened T-shaped plan with the entrance at the base of the "T". "[12], Since the French Revolution, when the church of Sainte-Genevive in Paris was deconsecrated and turned into the secular monument called the Panthon of Paris, the generic term pantheon has sometimes been applied to other buildings in which illustrious dead are honoured or buried. The Pantheon portico or entryway is a symmetrical, classical design with three rows of Corinthian columns eight in the front and two rows of four topped by a triangular pediment. Perhaps the taller columns, presumably ordered from a quarry in Egypt, never made it to the building site (for reasons unknown), necessitating the substitution of smaller columns, thus reducing the height of the portico. Religious articles Further, the concrete of the dome is graded into six layers with a mixture of scoria, a low-density, lightweight volcanic rock, at the top. [71] Others include the Rotunda of Mosta in Malta (1833). [41] Concerning this, an anonymous contemporary Roman satirist quipped in a pasquinade (a publicly posted poem) that quod non fecerunt barbari fecerunt Barberini ("What the barbarians did not do the Barberinis [Urban VIII's family name] did").
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