Pantheon
Next wonder in our list was Pantheon which we visited next day. Pantheon means worship of all Gods. This temple is the only pre-Christian era surviving monument in the world today.The spectacular design, proportions, elegance and harmony are a striking reminder of the architecture of the great Roman Empire.
The Pantheon as we know it today was built in 120 AD by Emperor Hadrian Who was passionate with architecture. Earlier in 27 BC, during Emperor Augustus rein, by his right hand Agrippa, it was built first but got destroyed in the fire later.
The most fascinating part of the Pantheon is its giant dome, with its famous hole in the top (The eye of the Pantheon, or oculus). The dome was the largest in the world for 1300 years and until today it remains the largest unsupported dome in the world! The diameter of the dome is 43.30 meters or 142ft (for comparison, the United States Capitol dome is 96 feet in diameter) and is in perfect proportion with the Pantheon by the fact that the distance from the floor to the top of the dome is exactly equal to its diameter.
The marble floor, which features a design consisting of a series of geometric patterns, is still the ancient Roman original.
The 16 massive Corinthian columns supporting the portico weigh 60 tons each. They were brought from Egypt. It is the only remain from the original temple built by Agrippa.
In the year 609 The Pantheon was the first pagan (pre-Christian) temple to be transformed into a church and because of that survived by attacks later!
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| People in Church in Pantheon |
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| Oculus (Eye of the Pantheon) and Dome |
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| Pillers |
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| Some artifacts inside Pantheon |
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