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Pantheon
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The Pantheon (Greek word that means the temple of every god) is a building of the ancient Rome, built by Marcus Agrippa in the year 27 BC as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome. After damages and restorations, the emperor Hadrian decided to rebuilt it, and he inaugurated it between 125 and 128 AD.
At the beginning of the 7th century the Pantheon has been converted into a Christian church, called Santa Maria ad Martyres (Saint Mary and the Martyrs, this name comes from the relics of unknown martyrs that were brought from the catacombs to the Pantheon): this allowed the building to survive the pillages and makes of it the only building of ancient Rome that has been in continuous use throughout its history.
The building is constituted by a porch connected to a wide round cell by an intermediate rectangular structure. The cylindrical room has diameter and height of equal dimensions (43,30 m); the interior is very simple and invites the visitor to silence and contemplation, giving a feeling of extraordinary harmony. Looking up, you can admire the magnificent dome, with an oculus at the apex: the oculus and the entry door are the only sources of light in the interior.
This building is a masterpiece of engineering, decorated, since the 15th century, with frescoes; since the Renaissance the Pantheon has been used as tomb: here are buried the painters Raffaello Sanzio and Annibale Carracci, the Kings of Italy Victor Emmanuel II and Umberto I and the Queen Margherita of Savoy.
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