The Pantheon

“The most beautiful Roman vestige is undoubtedly the Pantheon. This temple has suffered so little, it appears to us, as it must have appeared to ancient Romans during those times. ” Stendhal, Roman Walks.

One of the most famous and best preserved monuments of the capital is the Pantheon. The name follows from Greek etymology of “Temple of all the Gods,’ an altar to the deities of the past, present and future. It was first built in 27 BC by Augustus and later rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian between 120 and 124 A.D.
The pantheon was truly the temple of all the Roman gods, in fact, in the seventh century, it was converted into a Christian church and became Santa Maria Santa Maria della Rotonda of the Martyrs. Hence the nickname that the Romans gave to the monument: Rotonna or Ritonna.
The predominant feature which characterizes the structure is the enormous dome, still one of the largest domes in the world, and certainly the largest built in non-reinforced concrete – perhaps even more notable still, is the giant hole in the center, the oculus, which allows light (or rain) to enter and illuminates the church from within.
Several rumors about the reason for the central oculus exist, including one particularly interesting one from the Middle Ages which purported that the hole was caused by the devil escaping from the building when it was transferred into a Christian basilica.
Most likely, however, is that this hole, in addition to being the only source of natural light, also carries great astrological significance. In fact, on April 21, the day of an important Roman holiday, the sunlight entering from the oculus illuminates the entrance.
The monumentality of the building is emphasized by the size of the building stones, which weigh up to 90 tons. These marble slabs arrived arrived, imported from Egypt, over 2000 years ago.

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