The Pantheon is a Roman temple built in 27 B.C.E. It is a rectangular temple with a huge concrete dome and portico.  <!--more-->Located in Rome, it was saved from sacking and burning during the crusades when  , it was converted into a Catholic church.  .  The Greeks worshipped many gods and the Pantheon meaning “All the Gods” was meant as a place where they could all be worshipped at once.  It is the world’s second largest dome to this day.

The Pantheon is typical of its era in that it was meant as a place of worship for the gods.  Just as churches are common in Texas, temples were easy to find in ancient Rome.  The dome had been in existence for a while before the Pantheon was built, small domed structures were common.  The roman people worshipped many gods and temples were pretty common back then.  The materials and style of the pantheon are also typical of this time period.  The building materials, bricks and limestone, were plentiful in that area and most buildings were made of the same materials.  The pillars are designed in the Corinthian style.  Characterized by various features including a capital resembling leavesand entasis, a widening of the pillar near the middle, to counter the look of concavity that straight pillars have.  This is another aspect of Corinthian style, which makes the columns appear straight.

The Pantheon is innovative in its size and some of the technology used to allow for such a large dome.  These innovations include the use of adytons and coffers and empty spaces in the walls helped to reduce the weight of the drum easing stress on the foundation.  A new kind of concrete was used in the upper parts of the dome, mixed with pumice it was lighter.  The pantheon is innovative in its size and some of the technology used to allow for such a large dome.  These innovations include the use of adytons and coffers and empty spaces in the walls helped to reduce the weight of the drum easing stress on the foundation.  A new kind of concrete was used in the upper parts of the dome.  It was mixed with pumice, which lightened the load on the structure and kept the dome from collapsing.  This allowed it to be built higher and wider than any preceding dome. The fact that the Pantheon still exists is another unique aspect about it.  Rome has suffered through fires and pillaging which destroyed many of its buildings.  The Pantheon has burned down before, but was rebuilt.  While many of the materials used in the Pantheon were readily available in the area, those used to build the pillars were not.  They were quarried in Egypt where they waited until spring for the Nile river to flood its banks so they could by floated to the Mediterranean.  Once there they were loaded onto ships and had to be pulled up 40 miles or river before they were then dragged on land to their final resting place.  Normally lengths this great wouldn’t be taken to build a temple but the Pantheon’s grand size meant it received the best materials.  Marcus Agrippas wanted Romans to be able to worship straight to the heavens while they were in the Pantheon.  This is why there is a hole, or oculus, in the ceiling.  Like Cowboys stadium, it was unique in this aspect.  When it would only cost a little more to keep out the elements few roman buildings featured a hole in the ceiling and roof.

The Pantheon was well received in its time because nearly everyone believed in the polytheistic religion it was built for.  Also, it was thought that the gods would be pleased with such a structure built in their honor.  Nationalism was another reason to have pride in such a large structure.  It flaunted the wealth and might of the Roman Empire.  A lot of money collected in taxes funded the project which may have upset some who didn’t see the need for such excessive displays of wealth, but when foreigners came to Rome they visited its greatest monuments and the Pantheon was undoubtedly one of them.   Another reason the Pantheon would have been more impressive at the time is because its ceilings were once entirely covered in Bronze.  The precious metal was eventually removed for use in the altar of St. Peter’s and several other works.  As I mentioned earlier, the concept of the dome was not at all new, but this one was just so much bigger than any before it that people were awe struck when they saw it for the first time.  It was a fitting shrine to the gods they worshipped.

To this day people are still amazed by the Pantheon.  It is the best preserved roman monument in the world “thanks to its conversion to a church in 609 when the Byzantine emperor Pholas presented it to Pope Boniface VI as a gift” (“Sights”). Like the Egyptian pyramids; it’s fantastic to think that humans created the building without the aid of machinery.  The advances in technology at the time which allowed for the dome to tower to such a height are now commonplace and knowing that the dome was one of the first structures to implement these technologies make it that much more fascinating to us today.  Nowadays we are used to huge buildings being completed in about a year but the great lengths the Romans went to in order to construct this gigantic structure would be  considered excessive nowadays.  For example, the pillars on the portico took many months to transfer from Egypt.  We wouldn’t stand for a wait this long for pillars in the present.  In today’s world, where we can build a structure comparable to the Pantheon in just a few months, we don’t value buildings like the romans did.  For this reason, as much as people are impressed by the Pantheon, I don’t think they admire it anywhere as much as ancient Romans would have upon its completion.  Despite this, the Pantheon has accumulated an interesting history over its nearly 2000 years of existence.  For example, it is the first temple in Rome to be Christianised.  In 609 A.D. the Byzantine emperor Pholas gave it to Pope Boniface VI who then converted it into a church.  According to legend, he had 28 wagonloads of martyrs bones transferred from the Roman catacombs and had them buried beneath the altar.

I’ve seen the pantheon first hand and I was more than impressed.  Knowing how old the building is and that it was built almost entirely by hand are just a couple of reasons to be impressed by it.  It’s huge even by today’s standards and the style is completely different from that of today’s buildings.  For example, there is no glass.  A lack of metal and windows on the exterior of the building help to distinguish it from modern day architecture.  It doesn’t look anything like what we often perceive as a normal structure.  Today’s buildings are typically square or rectangular, with right angles where walls meet.  The pantheon is round so the dome can sit atop the walls.  When I visited the pantheon, we came approached it from the rear so it appeared as just a huge circular wall. (We were too close to see the massive dome sitting on top) Upon entering, the only light coming in when I visited came through the small opening in the top of the dome and some unobtrusive lighting that was installed within the last twenty or thirty years.  The combination of a huge ceiling, a small amount of natural lighting, and the lack of carpet or other materials which might deaden echoes combined to make the Pantheon seem even larger and older, unlike any building I’ve entered in the states.

During my trip to Europe I visited a lot of famous buildings that were older than anything still in existence in here in the United States.  There were a few roman buildings that hadn’t been destroyed during the crusades but they were all fairly small.  The Pantheon is similar to many buildings of its time because it is made of the same materials and shares various decorative features.   Take the Parthenon for example.  A large publicly funded build, it shares pillars built in the Corinthian style.  However, it does not have a dome, and it was built to honor only one god, Athena Parthenos.    Large buildings existed almost exclusively in this time to serve the roman government in some way.  Private businesses that could fund such works didn’t exist like they do today and it’s a guarantee that any large buildings still in existence were government owned.  The Parthenon and Pantheon are no exception.

I think that what future generations should know about the Pantheon is the effect it gives when one is inside.  We are used to buildings which are flooded with light thanks to windows and electricity.   The opportunity to step into a naturally lit building as old as the Pantheon will come less and less often to future generations as old buildings fall apart and disappear.  Another aspect of the Pantheon we don’t experience often is the effect of huge arched ceilings.  Today’s buildings almost always implement the kind of space in the dome of the pantheon for more floors but the dome is open in the Pantheon.  The average American ceiling is probably around 12 feet tall and not worth looking at.  However the Pantheon draws attention to its cavernous ceiling with coffers sunk into the curved ceiling of the massive dome.  It’s a new experience that you can only get from visiting old buildings.  Future generations should also be aware of the history of the Pantheon because it has been a focal point of attention for almost two thousand years.  It has stood as a symbol of power and religion during this time so naturally people have wanted it in order to celebrate their religion within its walls.  It’s an old building that offers a new experience and a rich history.  As we get older, these monuments do too and they also become rarer.  It’s important that future generations get to experience them firsthand.

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