The Pantheon

Some of the sights in Rome require their own explanation.  One of them is the Pantheon.

The Pantheon was built by Agrippa.  He was an ancient Roman architect who built a lot of the big monuments.  Or, at least, he put his name on a lot of them.  I was told that Caesar Augustus was the leader at the time, but he didn't care about having his name on things, so Agrippa got to put his name there.  I guess for some, putting a name on a building feels like making history.  For Agrippa, it worked.

The Pantheon is BIG.  You can't really get any scale in this little picture, but those columns are high and that roof is huge.

There is a domed roof inside.  When it was built, they cast blocks with recessed cutouts to lighten them so the roof could be held up by the supporting walls.

The only light in the Pantheon comes through the oculus, which is that round hole in the center of the dome.

The place was closed when we arrived.  The only pictures I could take were standing outside the entrance, where the guard held everyone behind a velvet rope.

Regardless of the fact that I stood outside looking in, it was a sight to behold.  Definitely a feat of architectural engineering.  I'm pretty sure that all domed construction was compared to this as people built other structures.

The multicolored marble, popular in the churches of the area, still clads most of the interior walls and the floor, but the outside has been stripped of all its marble cladding.

Once the Christians took over Rome, the Pantheon fell out of favor as most shrines to multiple gods must.  For over four hundred years, this was a fish market.  There were canvases attached to the front of the building and stretched out over the square to provide coverage for the stalls and vendors.

 The doors on the Pantheon are said to be original to the structure.  It's really hard to imagine them opening and closing for over a thousand years, but there you go.

I wish I had been able to frame in a head or two so you could get some idea of the scale of this place.  I keep saying, "it's just HUGE!" like that's going to get my point across.

Since we couldn't go inside, all I could do was point and shoot, so my pictures don't really provide scale.  I'm not sure I could do this edifice justice with my $65 camera anyway.

Suffice it to say, "it's just HUGE!"  The wikipedia page gives some measurements for the folks who need a mathematical construct to understand.

 Inside the doors, the dome dominates the view.  The multicolored marble floor shows geometric patterns and all the colors are represented there also.

 Outside the doors, under the portico, the column facings grace the porch walls and are topped by Corinthian capitals.

The roof rises overhead about three stories and you can see the original construction materials.

The Pantheon is a marvel of structural engineering.  It is mighty in its size and construction.

If you got to Rome, you've got to include a trip to the Pantheon.  It's well worth the trouble to get there.

--  Sandee Wagner