The Pantheon.
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Overview
Everything you have ever heard anyone say about the Pantheon is absolutely true! It is majestic, breathtaking, incredible, beautiful and a plethora of other excessively complimentary adjectives. When viewing the building from outside you have no idea what awaits you inside. The portico and massive columns capture your attention while the inside captures your emotion. The building we see today is the third incarnation of itself. It took over 700 workers three years to build this Pantheon.
Before the introduction of Christ as a god figure, the worship of many gods was a natural part of daily routine in everyone’s life. They worshiped gods who addressed everyday life issues and the people maintained good relationships with these gods through daily worship and sacrifice. They lived by the rule do ut des; “I give that you might give.” Requests were presented to the gods in trade for something. If the god provided what was asked of it, the worshiper would present the trade to the god. Traded items included food, wine or animals. The animal sacrificed was always the same sex as the god to which it was being sacrificed.
All over town were temples to specific gods like Jupiter - the king of gods, Vulcan - god of fire, Mercury - god of financial gain, commerce, travelers, trickery and thieves. Mercury is also the guide of the souls to the underworld. ~ funny isn’t it - the god of money and the god of the underworld being the same god!~
Initially, Agrippa, son-in-law and best friend of Augustus, wanted to rebuild the Pantheon to glorify the dynasty founded by Julius Caesar, as part of his wide spread urban renewal planning project. Augustus Caesar, (Octavian) the ruling emperor and adopted nephew of Caesar, didn’t want to be seen as a god, which he would have been if the temple was built in honour of the Caesar dynasty. Augustus suggested that it be built for all gods as a place for the common people to worship. And so it was. Augustus agreed that a statue of himself be placed in the portico. The building went up in 27 BCE.
The Pantheon was built for all gods which meant instead of walking through the neighbourhood to worship a specific god in a specific temple, a person could stop at the Pantheon for one-stop-worship. It was convenient!
All gods in Roman times, meant Roman gods, of which there were many, and each had a specific role. Only official priests or priestesses were allowed to enter the temples to negotiate with the gods. Private individuals and families had to worship at home and each family had their own statues of the gods they worshiped. The Pantheon was a revolutionary concept as it the first building that the common people were allowed to enter and use for worship.
The original building constructed by Agrippa was burned down. It was then redesigned by Apollodorus of Damascus, during the time of Trajan. Apollodorus was the same man who designed the Basilica Ulpia and Trajan’s Column. It burned down again and finally was rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in 114 CE. The Hadrian version is the building we see today. Hadrian was good at giving credit to the original architects or persons responsible for a building and that is why we see Agrippa’s name in the marble frieze. Hadrian was a well traveled man who respected other cultures and religions. When Hadrian rebuilt the temple he dedicated it to all gods, not just Roman gods. This was a major step as by this action, the Romans were admitting that gods other than theirs, had a place in the world.
The building functioned for 200 years as a temple with seven gods that were linked to the worship of the Sun, the Moon, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars in the main seven niches. Animals were sacrificed and burned in the centre, below the oculus and the smoke would exit through the oculus.
It was used as a temple until the year 392, when Emperor Theodosius closed all the pagan temples as he had declared that orthodox Nicene Christianity was now the official state church of the Roman Empire. He banned all pagan worship and forbid anyone to visit a temple. He extinguished the eternal fire that burned in the Temple of Vesta on Capitoline Hill and he fired all the vestal Virgins. He also banned the pagan rituals of the original Olympics in Greece! He authorized the destruction of most Roman temples but perhaps the Pantheon was spared destruction because of the sheer beauty of the building. No one knows why it was spared. It remained closed for 216 years until 608, when Emperor Phocas gave Pope Boniface the approval to convert it to a Christian church. After over 200 years of solitude under the oculus, the pagan gods were removed and discarded, and the building was opened as a church on May 13, 608. The fairly good condition of the building today, is because it was converted to a church and papal funds would have been allocated for its upkeep.
The effect you feel when you enter the building is intentional as you are only a person and this building was full of gods. You are supposed to feel small as you stand under the dome of heaven and deal with your god of choice.
The design of the dome, walls and floor are original. The dome would have been covered in gold or bronze or perhaps both.
Before the introduction of Christ as a god figure, the worship of many gods was a natural part of daily routine in everyone’s life. They worshiped gods who addressed everyday life issues and the people maintained good relationships with these gods through daily worship and sacrifice. They lived by the rule do ut des; “I give that you might give.” Requests were presented to the gods in trade for something. If the god provided what was asked of it, the worshiper would present the trade to the god. Traded items included food, wine or animals. The animal sacrificed was always the same sex as the god to which it was being sacrificed.
All over town were temples to specific gods like Jupiter - the king of gods, Vulcan - god of fire, Mercury - god of financial gain, commerce, travelers, trickery and thieves. Mercury is also the guide of the souls to the underworld. ~ funny isn’t it - the god of money and the god of the underworld being the same god!~
Initially, Agrippa, son-in-law and best friend of Augustus, wanted to rebuild the Pantheon to glorify the dynasty founded by Julius Caesar, as part of his wide spread urban renewal planning project. Augustus Caesar, (Octavian) the ruling emperor and adopted nephew of Caesar, didn’t want to be seen as a god, which he would have been if the temple was built in honour of the Caesar dynasty. Augustus suggested that it be built for all gods as a place for the common people to worship. And so it was. Augustus agreed that a statue of himself be placed in the portico. The building went up in 27 BCE.
The Pantheon was built for all gods which meant instead of walking through the neighbourhood to worship a specific god in a specific temple, a person could stop at the Pantheon for one-stop-worship. It was convenient!
All gods in Roman times, meant Roman gods, of which there were many, and each had a specific role. Only official priests or priestesses were allowed to enter the temples to negotiate with the gods. Private individuals and families had to worship at home and each family had their own statues of the gods they worshiped. The Pantheon was a revolutionary concept as it the first building that the common people were allowed to enter and use for worship.
The original building constructed by Agrippa was burned down. It was then redesigned by Apollodorus of Damascus, during the time of Trajan. Apollodorus was the same man who designed the Basilica Ulpia and Trajan’s Column. It burned down again and finally was rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in 114 CE. The Hadrian version is the building we see today. Hadrian was good at giving credit to the original architects or persons responsible for a building and that is why we see Agrippa’s name in the marble frieze. Hadrian was a well traveled man who respected other cultures and religions. When Hadrian rebuilt the temple he dedicated it to all gods, not just Roman gods. This was a major step as by this action, the Romans were admitting that gods other than theirs, had a place in the world.
The building functioned for 200 years as a temple with seven gods that were linked to the worship of the Sun, the Moon, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars in the main seven niches. Animals were sacrificed and burned in the centre, below the oculus and the smoke would exit through the oculus.
It was used as a temple until the year 392, when Emperor Theodosius closed all the pagan temples as he had declared that orthodox Nicene Christianity was now the official state church of the Roman Empire. He banned all pagan worship and forbid anyone to visit a temple. He extinguished the eternal fire that burned in the Temple of Vesta on Capitoline Hill and he fired all the vestal Virgins. He also banned the pagan rituals of the original Olympics in Greece! He authorized the destruction of most Roman temples but perhaps the Pantheon was spared destruction because of the sheer beauty of the building. No one knows why it was spared. It remained closed for 216 years until 608, when Emperor Phocas gave Pope Boniface the approval to convert it to a Christian church. After over 200 years of solitude under the oculus, the pagan gods were removed and discarded, and the building was opened as a church on May 13, 608. The fairly good condition of the building today, is because it was converted to a church and papal funds would have been allocated for its upkeep.
The effect you feel when you enter the building is intentional as you are only a person and this building was full of gods. You are supposed to feel small as you stand under the dome of heaven and deal with your god of choice.
The design of the dome, walls and floor are original. The dome would have been covered in gold or bronze or perhaps both.
The Portico
- The 16 Aswan grey granite columns of the portico are from Egypt. They were carved by stone cutters, placed on wooden carts, and transported to the Nile. Once there, they were loaded on to Egyptian barges and rowed to Alexandria where they were loaded on to brilliantly made Egyptian ships. Once they arrived at Ostia, at the mouth of the Tiber River, they were loaded on to barges and floated up to Rome.
- The bases and capitals of each column are made of white Pentelic marble which is from Mount Pentelicus in Attica, Greece.
- The Corinthian capitals are the earliest known application of the Corinthian Order in the buildings of Rome.
- There is a rumour that the original columns intended for the Pantheon were lost at sea and that the columns we see todayare last minute, shorter replacements. If you look at the portico you will see the roof line is lower than it was originally intended. The lower roof line supports the theory that shorter columns were used. No one knows for sure if this is true.
- The three columns on the left side are replacements. The colour and capitals are different than the rest.
The Dome
- The most striking feature of the building is the dome, which is intended to symbolize the heavens.
- It is made from a mixture of concrete and pumice, which is volcanic rock. More pumice was added into the concrete as the dome increased in height, so the dome would be lighter.
- The dome weighs over 5,000 tonnes.
- It was the largest dome in the world until Brunelleschi built the dome in Florence in 1436.
- The circular opening at the top of the dome is called an oculus and is 27 feet wide. It allows light and fresh air to come in, smoke to go out and it lessens the weight of the dome.
- The small squares, which are carved into the dome are called coffers. There are five rows of coffers with 28 coffers in each row. The coffers strengthen the dome and also reduce the weight.
- The dome was decorated with bronze decorations that were stripped from the dome by order of Pope Urban VIII. Some reference material states this order by the Pope was so Bernini could have the bronze for his baldacchino work at the Vatican.
- Other experts believe instead, that the bronze for the baldacchino came from Venice and that the Pope used the bronze from the Pantheon to build cannons for the fortification of Castel Sant’Angelo.
The "Entombed"
Raphael Sanzio
- Raphael was born in Urbino in 1483; some historians say on March 28, some say April 6, most say it was Good Friday.
- He didn’t live the life of a struggling young artist as his father was court painter to the Duke of Urbino, so the family was fairly well-off. Raphael helped with his father’s work.
- His mother died when he was 8 and his father died when he was 11. He lived with his step-mother for a while, then roamed around Italy living in various towns. In Florence, he met up with Leonardo da Vinci, who became a mentor and father figure.
- In 1508, he moved to Rome and was immediately hired by Pope
- Julius to paint the walls of his private library at the Vatican while at the same time Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
- Raphael painted numerous, outstanding works throughout Rome and was known as the Prince of Painters.
- His was engaged to marry Maria Bibbiena (against his will) in 1514, but he managed to keep delaying the date, as he was in love with Margherita Lute, a baker’s daughter, from the wrong side of the Tiber (the Trastevere side of the river)
- Margherita was a peasant woman from a different social class so they kept their affair as secret as possible. However, she is in a number of his paintings. It is said that he loved her so much that he couldn’t paint anything without her being in the same room. She was often smuggled into buildings so he could be near her while he worked.
- Raphael died April 6, 1520, Good Friday. He left enough money in his will to take care of his one true love, Margherita. After his death, she became a nun and joined a monastery in Trastevere.
- His financé, Maria, died a few months later and is entombed above him, to the right.
- It was long believed that Raphael died of syphilis, but 400 years after his death, an article in Internal and Emergency Medicine, published by the Italian Society of Internal Medicine suggests that he likely died from a pulmonary disease similar to the Coronavirus. He was misdiagnosed and was treated by bloodletting. Article
- “We are sure that bloodletting contributed to Raphael’s death,” Michele Augusto Riva, one of the study’s authors, told the Guardian. “Physicians of that period were used to practicing bloodletting for the treatment of different diseases, but it would not generally be used for diseases of the lungs. In the case of Raphael, he did not explain the origin of the disease or his symptoms and so the physician incorrectly used bloodletting.”
Annibale Carracci
- We saw Carracci’s painting in the Cerasi Chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo. His painting is the Assumption of the Virgin altarpiece on the main wall, flanked by the two Caravaggio paintings
- He was a Baroque painter born in Bologna on November 3, 1560. He was from a poor, working class family. His father was a tailor.
- His best works are in Loves of the Gods fresco in the Farnese Gallery, which is now the French Embassy.
- His work was very influential in the course of Baroque art as it moved artists aways from Mannerist styles and into the Baroque.
- He was quiet and introverted.
- In his later years he suffered from depression and strokes which caused him to stop painting.
- He was not fond of Caravaggio
- He died on July 15, 1609, and according to his
- wishes was buried near Raphael, here in the
- Pantheon.
King Victor Emmanuel II
- King Victor Emmanuel II was the first King of united Italy. He was born March 14, 1820 in the Kingdom of Sardinia. He died January 9, 1878 in Rome.
- He married his cousin, Maria Adelaide, who was the daughter of Archduke Rainer of Austria.
- He was originally the King of Sardinia from 1849 until 1861 when he became King of all Italy.
- He worked tirelessly to free Italy from foreign control and he became a central figure in the movement for Italian unification in the First Italian War of Independence, 1848 - 49. He worked alongside Count Cavour and Garibaldi.
- Pope Pius IX was not impressed with Emmanuel’s war conquests as they threatened papal territory so the Pope threatened Emmanuel with excommunication.
- At the time of Emmanuel’s death, the Pope was still upset with Emmanuel but allowed him to be buried in the Pantheon.
- The Monument of Victor Emmanuel II building, which is referred to as the Wedding Cake, commemorates this man.
King Ubmerto I and wife Margherita di Savoia
- Umberto is the son of King Victor Emmanuel Savoy II (shown above) and Archduchess Adelaide, both of whom are entombed opposite to him in the Pantheon.
- Nobody seemed to like the Savoy family very much and no one wanted to marry into the family. He was supposed to marry Archduchess Matilde of Austria, but she died. There was no one left to tie the Savoy knot, so he, like his father, married his first cousin. They seemed to get along very well and she liked him.
- He ascended the throne when his father died in 1878.
- While on tour in Naples the same year, he was attacked in an
- assassination attempt. It didn’t work. The assassin was locked
- up for life in a very small cell while wearing 40 pounds of
- chains. The whole thing upset the Queen for years.
- There is a lot of political history that happened between the bullet text above that you just read and the bullet text below, too much to be included here, but it all caused upheaval in Italy.
- On July 29, 1900, in Monza, a small town about 15 km northeast of Milan, another assassination attempt was made, and this time it worked!
Directions to San Luigi dei Francesi Distance 210 M Time 3 M
Stop for a minute and read this; a decision is required.
The directions above are going to take you to San Luigi, then to Piazza Navona, then back to Santa Maria sopra Minerva, the Gothic church which is located here, right behind the Pantheon.
If you think you might want to end your tour with dinner, in front of the Pantheon, then follow the tour as outlined above as it leads you back to this area.
If you think you might want to have dinner or end your tour at Piazza Navona, then slip behind the Pantheon now, to see Santa Maria sopra Minerva.
Step out of the Pantheon, turn right, follow the road to the back of the Pantheon, you will see Bernini's elephant sculpture in front of the church. Enter the church using the door on the right.
The directions above are going to take you to San Luigi, then to Piazza Navona, then back to Santa Maria sopra Minerva, the Gothic church which is located here, right behind the Pantheon.
If you think you might want to end your tour with dinner, in front of the Pantheon, then follow the tour as outlined above as it leads you back to this area.
If you think you might want to have dinner or end your tour at Piazza Navona, then slip behind the Pantheon now, to see Santa Maria sopra Minerva.
Step out of the Pantheon, turn right, follow the road to the back of the Pantheon, you will see Bernini's elephant sculpture in front of the church. Enter the church using the door on the right.