The World History Encyclopedia logo is a registered trademark. They gave their Pantheon massive 25-foot thick walls to support a huge dome made of solid concrete. 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. The Pantheon's architecture is groundbreaking: Its interior is solely lit by sunlight which enters through the "oculus" in the roof. Gerd Grahoff, Michael Heinzelmann, and Markus Wfler, editors, Robert Hannah and Giulio Magli. 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 conventional understanding of the Pantheons genesis, which held from 1892 until very recently, goes something like this. [5], The pediment was decorated with relief sculpture, probably of gilded bronze. When they built the Pantheon around A.D. 125 the skilled builders of Rome applied advanced engineering to the Greek classical orders. 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. NOTE: If you plan to visit on the weekend or a public holiday, you will need to book either this tour or their audio tour. The Pantheon is full of such devices for example, there are relieving arches over the recesses inside but all these arches were hidden by marble facing on the interior and possibly by stone revetment or stucco on the exterior. Cartwright, M. (2018, April 09). [58] It is the only masonry dome to not require reinforcement. Earlier temples were often built in dedicated to a god or goddess. He holds an MA in Political Philosophy and is the WHE Publishing Director. Romans liked to combine aspects of Etruscan architecture with Greek architecture, and this kind of thing can be seen a lot. 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. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Even today, the building stands as a lasting reminder of imperial glory. Hole in the Top of the Pantheon Stephen Campbell (Public Domain). Because of this, the interior floor is equipped with drains and has been built with an incline of about 30 centimetres (12in) to promote water runoff.[61][62]. They also organize picket guards at the tombs. The domes coffers (inset panels) are divided into 28 sections, equaling the number of large columns below. The Pantheon is one of today's best-preserved buildings from ancient Rome. A rectangular vestibule links the porch to the rotunda, which is under a coffered concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus) to the sky. This hole is 9 meters in diameter. [60], Upon entry, visitors are greeted by an enormous rounded room covered by the dome. Portoghesi designed the Mosque of Rome.. Paolo Portoghesi, the renowned Italian architect, died on Tuesday 30 May aged 92. 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. It was to be a triumphant display of his will and beneficence. [71] Others include the Rotunda of Mosta in Malta (1833). [49] These were thought to be a 15th-century replacement for the original, mainly because they were deemed by contemporary architects to be too small for the door frames. It was dedicated by a man named Marcus Agrippa, a loyal and entrusted general to the well-known Augustus Caesar. Lise Hetland argues that the present construction began in 114, under Trajan, four years after it was destroyed by fire for the second time (Oros. The, Sanctae Mariae Rotundae (photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). 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. Craven, Jackie. The original Pantheon of Rome was built between 27 & 25 BCE, under the consulship of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. The granite and marble columns were imported from Egypt, a land that was part of the Roman Empire. While the Pantheons importance is undeniable, there is a lot that is unknown. Today, we know that many parts of this story are either unlikely or demonstrably false. With new evidence and fresh interpretations coming to light in recent years, questions once thought settled have been reopened. Although the emperor Hadrian spent little time in Rome itself, he left his mark on the imperial capital in the form of art and architecture. From top to bottom, the structure of the Pantheon was fine-tuned to be structurally efficient and to allow flexibility of design. The Historia Augusta says that Hadrian dedicated the Pantheon (among other buildings) in the name of the original builder (Hadr. The first came from Domitian's villa at Castelgandolfo and was added in 1626. Its geometry has been measured and its building methods have been studied, as explained in this photographic tour. 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. On the first niche to the left of the entrance is an Assumption (1638) by Andrea Camassei. In the 15th century, the Pantheon was adorned with paintings: the best-known is the Annunciation by Melozzo da Forl. The tomb of King Umberto I and his wife Margherita di Savoia is in the next chapel. and restored to some unknown extent under the orders of Emperor Domitian (who ruled 8196 C.E.). [51] The materials used in the concrete of the dome also vary. At the very top, where the dome would be at its weakest and vulnerable to collapse, the oculus lightens the load. It is now an open question whether the building was ever a temple to all the gods, as its traditional name has long suggested to interpreters. Thanks to these innovations, from the first century C.E. (photo: Peter, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0), We do not know who designed the Pantheon, but Apollodorus of Damascus, Trajans favorite builder, is a likely candidateor, perhaps, someone closely associated with Apollodorus. 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. Following Hadrian's usual practice of dedicating rebuilt buildings and monuments in honour of the original dedicator, the Pantheon is dedicated to Marcus Agrippa and the prominent Latin inscription on the porch faade reads: (Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, three-time consul, made this). Dio appears to be the only near-contemporaneous writer to mention the Pantheon. Ultimate Guide To the Pantheon in Rome Italy If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website. The two plaques commemorate Maria Bibbiena and Annibale Carracci. The Pantheon's large circular domed cella, with a conventional temple portico front, was unique in Roman architecture. 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. Two kings of Italy are buried in the Pantheon: Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I, as well as Umberto's Queen, Margherita. [51] Finite element analysis of the structure by Mark and Hutchison[53] found a maximum tensile stress of only 0.128MPa (18.5psi) at the point where the dome joins the raised outer wall. Reconstruction by the Institute for Digital Media Arts Lab at Ball State University, interior of the Pantheon, Rome, c. 125 C.E. 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. Pantheon, Rome - Wikipedia The alcove opposite the door is the most impressive and reaches the ceiling. 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. The Influential Architecture of the Pantheon in Rome. They appear to be Corinthian but lack the usual flutes. [27] How the building was actually used is not known. The Pantheon in Rome was not built in a day. 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". The golden lamp above the tomb burns in honor of Victor Emmanuel III, who died in exile in 1947. The building's consecration as a church saved it from the abandonment, destruction, and the worst of the spoliation that befell the majority of ancient Rome's buildings during the early medieval period. By the 7th century, the Pantheon had become St. Mary of the Martyrs, a Christian church. It is made of brick and concrete and once displayed a marble faade. 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. Agrippas building, then, was redolent with suggestions of the alliance of the gods and the rulers of Rome during a time when new religious ideas about ruler cults were taking shape. The wooden crucifix on the altar is from the 15th century. With a diameter that measures 43.4 meters, the dome of the Roman Pantheon ranks as the world's largest dome made of unreinforced solid concrete. He had designed. On the vault are several 17th-century canvases, from left to right: Cumean Sibyl by Ludovico Gimignani; Moses by Francesco Rosa; Eternal Father by Giovanni Peruzzini; David by Luigi Garzi; and Eritrean Sibyl by Giovanni Andrea Carlone. On 26 May 1929, this deaconry was suppressed to establish the Cardinal Deaconry of S. Apollinare alle Terme Neroniane-Alessandrine. 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. Arguably his most famous achievement was the Pantheon, which he likely completed by 125 CE. The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, 43.3 metres (142ft), so the whole interior would fit exactly within a cube (or, a 43.3-m sphere could fit within the interior). The marble interior has largely survived, although with extensive restoration. The first Pantheon of Gods was built by the Ancient Romans in 29 B.C.E. In fact, many locals visit the Pantheon regularly to take in the perfection of this architectural wonder. Additionally, the oculus (open window) at the top of the dome was the interiors only source of direct light. Twice destroyed and twice rebuilt, Rome's famous "Temple of All the Gods" began as a rectangular structure. It is also a worthy tribute to the skills of the ancient Roman masons and engineers who built it and the incredible alchemy of their concrete mix. The only definite pantheon recorded earlier than Agrippa's was at Antioch in Syria, though it is only mentioned by a sixth-century source. Thus, Agrippa could not have been the patron of the present building.
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