Pantheon: A Masterpiece of Roman Architecture

The Roman Pantheon is one of the most preserved and influential buildings of ancient Rome. “The original use of the Pantheon is somewhat unknown, except that it was classified as a temple. However, it is unknown as to how the people worshiped in the building because the structure of the temple is so different from other traditional Roman temples. The Pantheon exists today in such amazing form because of the Byzantine emperor Phocas gave it to Pope Boniface the IV in A.D. 608 and it was used as a church ever since. The Pantheon has been in use since the time it was built.”(Roman Pantheon) One of the main purposes of the Roman architecture is to show power and to bring people together and from what has been explained the Pantheon was first used as a temple and the Pantheon means to honor all Gods so you can assume it was used to honor all Gods and then the temple was given to the Pope in A.D. 608 and it was then used as a church and a church is a place to meet and gather people together for a

Yet, even as temples, there are differences amid them. The Parthenon was built to honor the goddess, Athena, daughter of Zeus and patron goddess of Athens. The Pantheon was built to in honor of all the Roman gods and goddesses. The Parthenon is an important symbol of Greek cultural. The temple reveals the religious beliefs of Greece at the time. The care and attention paid to the architecture shows how much the Athenians valued Athena. The art in the temple echoes the conquests of Greek culture; a unique symbol of cultural power; a symbol for their greatness throughout the Classical order. The Pantheon in Rome was built at a transitional point in Roman History, when the old stories and beliefs of the ancients had not been abandoned, but Christianity and Mithraism, were beginning taking hold. The Pantheon was first built as a temple for the gods of the seven planets in the Roman state religion, but since the seventh century has been a Christian church. The Pantheon is the most well conserved building in Rome and the oldest building in the world with its original roof intact. Since the Renaissance the Pantheon has been used as a tomb housing the remains of two kings and a queen, Vittorio Emanuele II, Umberto I, and Vittorio Emanuele's Queen, Margherita among others. The structure is considered a national treasure (Lisa,

The Pantheon was built in Rome under the patronage of Emperor Hadrian between 125 and 128 CE. It was originally raised on a podium but that has long been covered up by centuries of dirt and debris (Stokstad, Art History, pg. 263). Its facade was made to resemble a typical Greek or Roman temple but behind this porch lies a giant rotunda, or circular building. " It has 20 foot thick walls that raise 75 feet high . . . and support a huge, round, bowl-shaped dome, 143 feet in diameter and 143 feet from the floor at its summit" (Stokstad, pg263-264). Like most Roman buildings, the Pantheon's surface consists of marble. Beneath the marble veneer lies internal brick arches and concrete that support the dome. The walls form a structural drum that holds up the dome. These structural elements are disguised by "a wealth of architectural detail-columns, exedrae, pilasters and entablatures-in two tiers"(Stokstad, pg. 264). The design of "simple repetition of square against a circle . . . established on a large scale by the juxtaposition of the rectilinear portico against the rotunda"(Stokstad, pg. 264-265). This repetition of square on circle is also repeated in the interior of the building. The floor also shows the motif of

Built again on the site of a previous temple construction started around 125 AD. Instead of a single temple for a single god it originally housed statues of many different gods before it was re-tasked as a church to honor St Mary and the Martyrs in the 7th century. (Pantheon, Rome, 2016) This building uses the third of the major column styles Corinthian. Slender like the Ionic order column but more elaborately decorated and an interesting ratio multiplier, the overall column height is a multiple of 6 while the column shaft height is a multiple of 5. The Pantheons most impressive feature is the unsupported dome reaching to a height on 142ft from the ground. Using materials that are still not know but suspected to be similar to concrete that we use today it is the largest unsupported dome in the world. In the top of the dome is the oculus, a hole where sunlight can stream into the space bellow and provide natural lighting. On April 21st the light hits a metal grill at midday to illuminate the courtyard in front. April 21st being the founding day of Rome. (10 FACTS ABOUT THE PANTHEON, 2016) Though its many years of use and its remarkable staying power because of its re-use. Many of the original interior features have been changed, and from top to bottom the styles almost clash with the previous layer. However, the importance of the building architecture can still be felt, even as far away as Chicago where interior sections of

Even today it is used as a house of worship by the Roman Catholic Church.

Similarities of the two structures lend themselves, not only to the value and appreciation of classical architecture over the centuries, but also the blend and variety of the artistic expression and elements applied to adorn them. Even today when conceptualizing a structure to exude power, stability coupled with artistic expression and contemplation, both the Pantheon and the Parthenon, among others, establish this foundation. Timeless similarities that won’t soon be replaced, even with modern day advancements.

Hence it can be said that this is a building that did have religious connotations in the ten contemporary times. However the building does not exhibit any image or statute of the ancient roman gods (Jones, 2014). Hence it is not clear that which are the specific gods to whom the architecture or the building had been dedicated.

The Pantheon, whose name gets from the ancient Greek and signifies “common to all the gods”: Pan means “all”, and Theon means “gods”, is the best preserved building from ancient Rome. Its magnificent dome is a lasting testimony to the genius of Roman architects and as the building stands virtually intact.

The Greeks are responsible for the creation of the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns, but the Roman’s expanded on this and modified the capitals. Greek influence can be seen in the creation of Pantheon. The Pantheon combines the styles of Greek and Roman architectural styles with its combination of post and lintel and dome and arch. Inside the Pantheon are sculptures like the Parthenon, and is the most well preserved buildings from ancient Rome. The Pont du Guard in France remains the largest aqueduct in the world and after over 2000 years it still stands. The Colosseum is in ruins, but it still stands today.

When we look at the exterior architecture of the Pantheon we find that Romans have adopted the

At about 120 – 124 the Romans architectural mastery was so great that they could build the circular Pantheon temple, a testament to the majesty of the Roman empire, and a place where the Romans could pray to their gods. The Pantheon dome was created in a way where the concrete for the coffered dome was poured in molds and mounted on temporary scaffolding where the center, known as the oculus, would be open for the public to see the light or night of day, and stand as a testament to the capabilities the Roman architects could

All of them were the inspiration of most famous and important architecture examples nowadays. The Colosseum, in Rome was the inspiration of The U.S. capitol building. The dome in the Capitol is supported by wings with columns. Also The Colosseum was reflected in a residential development in W.S. in New York City. The Pantheon, a Roman place for worship and the Catholic capitol St. Peter’s Basilica reflected it by using designs and materials from it. Not only these examples, there is also Trajan’s column in Italy, Rome which was a structure built by a romans and Napoleons column reflected it in France. In addition to The Maison Carree a Roman temple in Nimes was the inspiration of the British museum in England. In the other hand, Arches and Domes took place too; The Washington Square Arch in New York City is inspired by the Roman arches. And Domes nowadays used in sport stadiums and buildings such as Georgia dome in

The Pantheon, whose name derives from the ancient Greek and means “common to all the gods”: Pan means “all”, and Theon means “gods”, is the best preserved building from ancient Rome. Its magnificent dome is a lasting testimony to the genius of Roman architects and as the building stands virtually intact.

The history of the Pantheon project was originally from the emperor Augustus and built by the architect Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. During the reign of the Roman emperor Titus, in approximately 80 A.D, the Pantheon temple was burned down in a fire. Eventually, the third Roman emperor Domitian of the Flavian dynasty rebuilt a new temple there, but this one was also destroyed in a fire in 110 A.D. Around 120 A.D Roman period, King Hadrian rebuilt the third Pantheon in a more modern style and this is the temple we have today. Apollodorus of Damascus, who was an architect designer during that period of time, assisted King Hadrian in rebuilding the best preserved Roman monument, the new Pantheon. The reconstruction of this project started soon after Hadrian became emperor and it was probably completed by 125 A.D. To honor Agrippa, Hadrian left a message over the door written in early Greek. Hadrian mentioned that he was the originally creator who had built the temple.

The Pantheon is a structure that was built as a reflection of the Roman empire’s wealth and power. Back in its time, it served as a temple to all the Roman gods. These gods “included Zeus, a sky-god and the ‘father of gods, sea, earthquakes, and horses’” (Noble, T., Strauss, et al. 58). The gods were believed to “live on Mount Olympus, a 9,500-foot-high peak in northern Greece” and were called Olympians (Noble, T. Strauss, et al. 58). What makes the Pantheon particularly remarkable is that it exists to this day in roughly the same state as it had upon the completion of its construction and dedication to the gods. Since its construction, the Pantheon has inspired numerous other buildings across the world and has served as a staple in fascinating architecture.