Temple of all gods in Rome: name, photo, description. Pantheon in Rome - Temple of All Gods Brief message about the pantheon in Rome

The Pantheon is the famous temple of all the gods in Rome, one of the iconic monuments of the Eternal City, of worldwide importance, and one of the most mysterious structures on our Planet. This is the best preserved architectural creation of Ancient Rome, a symbol of the greatness of the Roman Empire.

It is not known exactly when and how the Pantheon was built. It is generally accepted that its construction was completed by 126 AD. This conclusion was made based on the study of surviving documents through logical reasoning. There are no exact dates in the documents. The 2nd century AD is considered the heyday of the architecture of Ancient Rome, and the Pantheon is the crowning achievement of the architects of that time.

Until the beginning of the 7th century, the Pantheon was a pagan temple of Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Pluto, Neptune, Saturn and Mercury. That is, it was still not dedicated to all gods, but only to 7 chosen ones. In 608, the pagan temple was saved from destruction by its transformation into a Christian one. The Church of Saint Mary and Martyrs (Santa Maria ad Martires) was consecrated by Pope Boniface. The name of the temple was given in honor of the relics of Christian martyrs, who were transferred here from the catacombs of Rome. Sometimes the Pantheon is called the Rotunda of St. Mary (Santa Maria Rotonda).

The temple was built during the reign of Emperor Hadrian on the site of the destroyed first Pantheon. The first temple was built in 27–25 BC under the emperor Marcus Vipsanias Agrippa and was repeatedly damaged by fires caused by lightning strikes. Agrippa's Pantheon faced south and had a rectangular shape.

The builders of the new Pantheon kept the name of the founder on the pediment of the building. The Latin inscription reads: “M. AGRIPPA L F COS TERTIVM FECIT" (Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, elected consul for the third time, erected this).

The current Pantheon is oriented to the north, and its size significantly exceeds the temple that existed before it. Initially, the structure stood on a podium, to which 8 steps led. But over the many centuries of the temple’s existence, the ground level around it has risen, as a result, today the temple is located in a shallow depression. In addition, the Pantheon stands at the lowest point in Rome, which is periodically flooded, but even this did not reduce the structural strength of the structure...

In 202, during the reign of Septimius Severus and his son Caracalla, the Roman Pantheon was restored. On the architrave was carved the inscription: “Emperor Caesar Lucius Septimius Severus Pius Pertinax of Arabia, Adiabene, Parthian, greatest, Pontifex Maximus, 10 times tribune, 11 times emperor, 3 times consul, Father of the Fatherland, proconsul, and Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius Felix Augustus, 5 times tribune, consul, proconsul, the Pantheon, damaged by time, was restored with all care.”

The design of the Pantheon is unique. The dome with the walls of the brick and concrete rotunda forms a single shell. The centric shape of the building is characteristic of the pagan temples of ancient Italy. The walls of the rotunda are more than 6 meters thick and are installed on a massive foundation. The dimensions of the diameter of the dome and the height of the rotunda are the same, so the internal space of the temple can accommodate a full sphere - an ideal shape symbolizing the image of the Universe. The concrete hemispherical dome of the Pantheon has a diameter of 43.5 meters and weighs about 5,000 tons. The dome is covered with gilded bronze plates.

The name of the architect who built the Pantheon is unknown. Presumably, Apollodorus from Damascus, an engineer, architect, designer and sculptor of the 2nd century AD, took part in the construction of the temple.

The secret of the concrete from which the dome of the Pantheon is made has been lost. The dome consists of circles that are clearly visible on the coffered ceiling. Previously, the ceiling was gilded. The dome of the temple represents the vault of heaven, illuminated by the main celestial body - the Sun.

Another incredible fact about the Pantheon is that its dome is not reinforced!!! And the thickness of the dome is 1.2 meters!

The composition of concrete varies at different levels. On the lower belts the filler is travertine chips, and on the upper ones - chips of tuff and light pumice. However, concrete of variable hardness and density at the beginning of our era? There are researchers who believe that the dome was cast by aliens, and the Pantheon itself is nothing more than a powerful supermagnetron. And the Romans say that the dome of the temple was cast on a huge pile of rubbish poured inside the building under construction. Then, the garbage was instantly stolen and removed by the city residents, because to speed up the cleaning, gold coins were mixed into it.

Modern science states that the lifespan of concrete is a maximum of 600 years, and that of brickwork - even less. There is no reasonable explanation for how the Pantheon has stood for 2000 years. Many researchers believe that the Pantheon is much younger, since the information in the surviving documents is fragmentary, and there is no clear line of existence of this monument over the centuries...

In the center of the dome is the “Eye of the Pantheon” (oculus) - a round hole with a diameter of 9 meters. Daylight penetrates into the temple through the oculus. Legend has it that the hole (Oculus) was formed when the church mass began in the temple. The evil forces could not withstand the sounds of the divine liturgy and urgently left the Sacred place, destroying the upper part of the dome. In general, more than one article could be written about the legends that shroud the Pantheon! And if you consider how many legends were invented by the Romans to attract tourists, then there is enough for a book.

There is an assumption that the Pantheon temple was a sundial and at the same time an astronomical observatory. Every year on the summer solstice, June 21, at noon, the sun passes through the Eye of the Pantheon and illuminates everyone who enters the main door of the temple with a ray of light. By the way, in ancient chronicles the word “aedes” (temple) was never used in relation to the Pantheon, but only simply “Pantheum”. Also, the orientation of the building to the north is extremely unusual for a temple. Was the Pantheon really a temple?

The Pantheon has a special drainage system to remove rainwater. The floor is made slightly convex under the oculus, water flows into drainage holes, and then goes into the underground drainage system.

The entrance to the Pantheon is decorated with a massive portico, decorated with two rows of tall Corinthian columns. The height of the columns is 14 m, the diameter is 1.5 meters, each weight is 60 tons. The columns and pediment of the Pantheon are made of large stone blocks that were cut down in Egyptian quarries. Delivering such columns to the construction site even today, with the availability of powerful equipment, is an incredibly difficult task.

The Pantheon's pediment was previously decorated with bronze figures, statues and decorative elements, believed to be the work of Diogenes of Athens. In the 17th century, all bronze decorations from the facade were removed and used by the architect Bernini during the construction of St. Peter's Basilica by order of Pope Urban VIII. Even the bronze coffered ceiling of the portico was dismantled and then melted down.

At the same time, Bernini, by order of the Pope, in order to give the temple a more Christian appearance, built two awkward bell towers at the top, nicknamed by the Romans “Bernini's donkey ears.” The disfigured ears of the Bell Tower adorned the Pantheon for 200 years, then they were demolished. Earlier, in 1270, an attempt was made to add a small bell tower to the left above the portico, but it was later also destroyed. The Pantheon does not tolerate additional decorations...

In the space under the triangular pediment you can see holes for attaching decorative bronze trim. Presumably, a symbol of power was attached here - a bronze eagle with outstretched wings, with an oak wreath in its beak.

The interior decoration of the Pantheon is well preserved. The floor and wall cladding of the rotunda are made of multi-colored marble. It is impossible to believe that this is an original finish... Many researchers do not believe it!

Directly below the opening of the dome there was an altar on which sacrificial animals were put on fire. Acrid smoke came out through a hole in the dome.

Seven large niches, alternately trapezoidal and rounded, were dedicated to the five planets known to the ancient Romans, as well as to the luminaries - the Sun and the Moon.

The niches are separated from the central hall by Corinthian columns.

Previously, the Pantheon housed statues of the seven most revered gods of Roman mythology. After the transformation of the pagan temple into a Christian church, all objects associated with paganism were destroyed.

Today in the Pantheon there are statues of Saint Anastasio, Saint Agnes, Madonna del Cacco, Saint Eracio, Saint Nicholas, the Coronation of the Virgin sculpture, as well as a group sculpture of Saint Anne and the Blessed Virgin Mary. By order of Pope Clement XI, an altar and an apse were built in the Pantheon. In 1840, a choir designed by Luigi Poletti was added. In 1926, during restoration work, the Pantheon received an organ. It was installed behind the statue of Saint Razius, to the left of the main altar.

The walls in niches and chapels are painted with frescoes.

During the Renaissance, burials of famous people began to be made in the Pantheon. Here, among other things, is the grave of the Renaissance genius Raphael Santi. On his tomb there is a statue of the Madonna and an inscription carved: “Nature took care to take him from life, because she was afraid that he would surpass her with his art.” His fiancee Maria Bibbiena is buried next to Raphael’s grave.

The Pantheon became the first ancient Roman temple, into which not only priests, but everyone who wanted to pray to the gods could enter.

The Pantheon Temple is located in the very center of Rome in Piazza della Rotonda. On the opposite side of the square there was once the Temple of Neptune. The dimensions of Piazza della Rotonda are about 60 meters from north to south and 40 meters from west to east. It is always crowded here; along the perimeter of the square there are cozy (and expensive) restaurants.

In the center of Piazza della Rotonda is the Pantheon fountain and an Egyptian obelisk made of pink marble, covered with hieroglyphs. This is one of two obelisks created under Pharaoh Ramses II for the temple of the god Ra in Heliopolis. The top of the obelisk is decorated with a bronze star - one of the symbols of the coat of arms of Pope Clement XI.

The Pantheon Fountain is beautiful and has a very long history of changes due to the decrees of various Popes. I will definitely write about this and photograph the details of the fountain in more detail next time.

Throughout its existence, the Pantheon never closed and always served as a temple. Visiting has been free for 2000 years, but from December this year an entrance fee of 3 euros is planned.

In the image and likeness of the Roman Pantheon, several temples were built in different places around the world. One of these copies is located in Malta in the city of Mosta. The Mosta Dome is one of the largest cathedrals in the world.

The Roman Pantheon is one of the most impressive buildings in Rome. In addition, this is almost the only building of Ancient Rome that has survived to this day almost unchanged.

The Pantheon is a temple dedicated to all the gods.

The first temple on this site in Rome was built in 27 BC. e. Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, commander and ally of Emperor Augustus. After the fire, the Pantheon was completely rebuilt in 118 - 128. under Emperor Hadrian. It was he who ordered the old inscription to be made on the facade of the new Pantheon: “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, consul for the third time, built.”

Architectural features of the Pantheon

The entrance to the Roman Pantheon is decorated with a ceremonial portico with Greek-style columns that stand in two rows. All columns are made of red Egyptian granite and Greek marble and are monolithic.

The dome rests on a rotunda, the walls of which consist of eight niches connected to each other by a multi-tiered arcade laid in brick. The interior decoration is typical of ancient Rome.

The dome of the Roman Pantheon is made of concrete filled with crushed brick and pumice; the upper part of the dome consists of pumice concrete. This dome is still the largest concrete structure.

The walls of the Pantheon are decorated with marble. They contained niches in which stood statues of ancient gods.

The floor is paved with marble slabs. In the center there are drains for water, which, when it rains, enters the temple through a light hole in the dome.

There are no windows in the Roman Pantheon. But the building has good natural ventilation. It does not feel damp even in rainy winter times. In addition, there are excellent acoustics here. There can be more than two thousand people in the Pantheon.

Pantheon - Christian church

This miracle was preserved due to the fact that at the beginning of the 6th century, Pope Boniface IV decided that the Pantheon, which stood on the former Campus Martius in Rome among the ruins, would be suitable for building a church there. In 609, the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary and all the martyrs was illuminated in it.

Almost all the Roman priests were present for the solemn consecration of the church. However, in the Middle Ages, people were in constant fear, fueled by the Christian Church. Therefore, at the celebration, people saw frightened demons escaping through a round hole in the dome.

Pantheon - tomb

In 1520 he was buried in the Pantheon.

Victor Emmanuel II and Umberto I, the first and second kings of the United Italy, are also buried in the Roman Pantheon.

Now in front of the Pantheon there is an Egyptian obelisk, which in antiquity was located in the Temple of Isis on the Campus Martius.

The history of the Pantheon has remained mysterious and uncertain for more than two thousand years. Even after numerous humanitarian and archaeological studies, it is still difficult to understand what historical reality needs to be adhered to in order to find out the whole truth about this masterpiece. The Pantheon of Gods is the main and, perhaps, the only architectural monument that, when visited, evokes a feeling of deep emotional shock. Revived from time immemorial, embodying elegance and harmony, it has retained its majestic appearance for centuries, annually attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world.

The Pantheon of Gods is the main attraction of Rome

Roman Pantheon of Gods: creation and history

Legend has it that Roman citizens built the first Pantheon on the very spot where Romulus, the mythological founder of Rome, ascended to heaven during a solar eclipse, which occurred suddenly during the next review of troops at the Goat Marsh.

Almost 700 years later, between 25-27. BC, a new religious building was erected on the same site. Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, who was the son-in-law of Emperor Octavian Augustus, built the Pantheon of pagan gods in honor of the triad - Mars, Jupiter and Quirinus. Conceived as a Temple for the worship of pagan deities, it was a rectangular building with brick walls and a veranda under a common gable roof made of wood. The religious building, which existed for almost a century, was destroyed during severe fires that occurred in 80 and 110 AD.

This is interesting!

Apollodorus played an important role in Roman architecture during the reign of the emperors Domitian and Trajan. He worked on the design and construction of some of the greatest buildings and monuments of Ancient Rome, including the Baths of Trajan on the Hill of Oppia, Trajan's Forum and Arch, Trajan's Harbor at Ostia and several others. Between 103 and 105 AD under his leadership the design and construction of the largest bridge across the Danube was carried out. He designed Hadrian's Arch, re-Constantine, and designed Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli and the Temple of Venus in Rome.

The Pantheon is amazing in its scale

In accordance with the precise instructions dictated by Hadrian, the internal geometry of the structure was supposed to create an ideal sphere, where the height of the dome at its most distant point was equal to the diametrical dimension of the supporting masonry of its ring.

Strict geometric proportions are one of the attractions of the Pantheon

In the elevated part of the Pantheon dome, the oculus was provided as the only source of light. Adrian specified that the dome should reveal the sky through a large hole in the middle, showing alternately light and shadow. “My intention is for the Temple of All Gods to represent the similarities between the earth and the planetary spheres. And the disk of sunlight was perceived as a shield of gold. The pouring rain will create a pool of clear water on the floor under the oculus, evaporating with our prayers like smoke into the void in which we will take the place of the gods."

Oculus at the top of the dome is the only light source

Another innovative feature of the construction of the Pantheon of pagan gods was the use of colored marble to make smooth monolithic columns of the temple, instead of the traditional white ones, with longitudinal grooves.

The spacious interior of the temple is framed by marble columns

Research suggests that the construction of the Pantheon continued throughout Hadrian's life, until his death in 138 AD. The construction was continued by the next emperor, Antoninus Pius, who was the adopted successor of Hadrian. Over the next two centuries, the Pantheon was considered the main pagan temple of the Roman Empire. It underwent minor changes, mainly made by the emperors Septimius Severus and Caracalla in the early third century AD.

The interior of the Pantheon is completely decorated with marble

After the proclamation of Christianity as the only religion of the Empire and the signing by Emperors Constantine and Licinius of the Edict of Milan in 312-313, which granted freedom of religion to Christians, the Pantheon of pagan gods was closed, plundered by barbarians and abandoned. Answers to the questions have still not been found as to why it was not completely destroyed or immediately converted into a church for Christians. Perhaps the place of pagan idolatry was considered not entirely “clean” for such a temple.

Main altar of the Temple

It's interesting that The Pantheon of Gods remained in oblivion until 608. It was then that the Byzantine Emperor Phokas donated the building to Pope Boniface IV, who consecrated the ancient structure and established the Christian Church of St. Mary and the Martyrs (Santa Maria ad Martyres) in it. By the way, today it still has the same name. Most likely, this was the only thing that saved the masterpiece of Apollodorus of Damascus from the destruction that many ancient Roman buildings suffered in the Middle Ages.

Pantheon: briefly about some facts

The pantheon of pagan gods that Apollodorus created is surrounded by many legends. However, no less interesting are some confirmed facts accumulated over the more than two thousand year history of its existence. Do you know that:

• The bronze dome of the temple was originally covered with gold plates. At that time, the Romans did not use gold leaf, but rather thin plates of it. In 655, Constans II, Emperor of Constantinople, while visiting Rome, removed all the bronze and gold roofs to transport them to his capital. While stopping in Syracuse, he was killed and his cargo fell into the hands of the Saracens - nomadic robbers from Egypt. And only in 733 did Pope Gregory III cover the exposed dome with sheets of lead;
• the second name of the Pantheon of Gods is Santa Maria Rotonda. The temple received this name after 1000, which was reflected in the name of the square located in front of it;
• The religious building was decorated with a bell tower, erected in 1270 in a rough Romanesque style. Pope Urban VIII had a hand in its destruction. Instead, on the instructions of the Pope, he erected two bell towers. “Bernini's donkey ears,” as the wits called them, were also destroyed in 1883, since they had nothing to do with ancient Roman architecture;

Two bell towers built by Bernini adorned the Pantheon during the height of the Baroque period.

• The bronze sculptures that decorated the pediment building and the elements of the roof above the stepped entrance to the Pantheon were used to create a majestic canopy over the altar in. In 1625, during the papacy of Urban VIII Barberini, in search of the required amount of bronze, the figures of the martyrs were dismantled and melted down;
• At noon on April 21, a ray of sunlight falling through the oculus hits the center of the entrance portal. On this day, the sunlight entering the temple takes on a truly unique meaning, making the Pantheon more than just a temple dedicated to the gods. This date is considered the founding day of Rome and is celebrated as a non-public holiday.

This is how a ray of sun illuminates the entrance to the temple

The Pantheon Temple in Rome today: what is in it

Starting from the 15th century, the walls of the once pagan temple began to be decorated with frescoes. At that time, the building of the Christian church was given to the professional association of artists at the Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts and Letters. Later, the Pontificia Insigne Accademia di Belle Arti e Letteratura dei Virtuosi al Pantheon was renamed the National Academy of St. Luke - Accademia nazionale di San Luca. It was from those times that the magnificent fresco “Annunciazione” (Annunciation) made by Melozzo da Forli (1438-1494), which is located in the first right chapel from the entrance, has been preserved here.

Annunciation. Melozzo da Forli

Here lies the great Raphael

In addition, the Pantheon contains the tombs of the first two kings of united Italy: Victor Emmanuel II and his son and successor King Umberto I. The tombstone of Victor Emmanuel II can be seen in the chapel to the right of the entrance.

This is interesting!

The burial of the king's body became the subject of heated debate. Many of his companions wanted him to be buried in the traditional burial place - the Basilica di Superga, the family crypt of the House of Savoy. However, the decision taken by Prime Minister Agostino Depretis and Interior Minister Francesco Crispi prevailed. The king's body was exhibited in the Pantheon on January 17, 1878, and his ceremonial burial took place on February 16.

Tombstone of the first king of Italy

On the opposite side in the Pantheon is the burial place of King Umberto I and his wife, Queen Margaret of Savoy. The memorial is decorated with a funerary urn designed by the architect Giuseppe Sacconi.

Burial of Umberto I, second king of Italy

On the 50th day of Catholic Easter, at the end of the liturgical mass, an unusually exciting action takes place inside the Pantheon. Through the oculus located in the dome of the temple, thousands of red rose petals begin to fall on the pilgrims. This custom, revived by Archbishop Antonio German in 1995, has become a symbol of the descent of the Holy Spirit. And the holiday, when the floor of the temple is strewn with flowers, is called Rose Sunday, which sounds like la Domenica delle Rose.

Red rose petals fall on the faithful every year

To feel all the energy of the ancient temple and see its splendor, it is enough to purchase any guide to Rome or join the multilingual crowd of tourists who will lead you there themselves.

The Pantheon is located in Piazza della Rotonda, near the Barberini metro station in Rome and is free to visit. To learn more about its two-thousand-year history of the creation and transformation of a pagan temple into a Christian church, those interested can download the audio guide in Russian, links to which are provided in the information for tourists.

The Pantheon is one of the main and significant attractions of Rome, having a fairly respectable age of more than two thousand years, and this is the only ancient building of the city that has not turned into ruins and has been preserved in its more or less original form from ancient times.

The first building of the Pantheon was built back in 27 BC by the consul Marcus Agrippa, and the name of the building translated from ancient Greek means “Temple of All Gods”. At that time, inside the building there were statues of the deified Caesar and the most revered Roman gods - Jupiter, Venus, Neptune, Mars, Mercury, Pluto and Saturn, whom the Romans worshiped. During the fire that occurred in 80 AD. uh,. the temple was destroyed by fire. It was later restored by Emperor Domitian, but in 110 AD. the temple burned down again.

Around 118-125 AD under Emperor Hadrian, the building of the Pantheon was restored, or rather, rebuilt, while, surprisingly, the name of its original founder was preserved, as evidenced by the inscription in Latin - “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, elected consul for the third time, erected this” . The second inscription, written in smaller letters, mentions the restoration carried out under Septimius Severus and Caracalla in 202 AD, which did not at all affect the appearance of the temple.

The perfection of the structure suggests that the greatest architect of the time, Apollodorus of Damascus, creator of the Trajan Forum in Rome, took part in its restoration, by the way, later executed by the same Hadrian for his critical statements about the architectural projects of Hadrian himself. A fan of Greek culture, the emperor himself actively worked as an architect, not forgetting to glorify himself with triumphal arches and statues in the temples he built. Not being particularly modest, he installed his statue in the temple of Zeus he completed in Athens, a gilded statue in Epidaurus, and in Rome he erected a giant equestrian monument (according to Dio Cassius, a person could pass through the eye of a horse in it). Hadrian also built for himself vast villas around Rome and a huge tomb on the banks of the Tiber, which has survived to this day as the famous castle of St. Angela.

But let's return to the Pantheon and, before continuing its history, briefly about the building itself. The cylindrical building with walls six meters thick, cast from concrete, is crowned by a huge dome with a diameter of 43 meters - the pinnacle of engineering art and unsurpassed in size until the 19th century. Only the dome of St. Peter's Cathedral has an almost equal diameter - 42.6 meters, and the famous dome of the Florence Cathedral is only 42 m, and even then, it was built with great problems over 16 years! The inner surface of the dome is decorated with 140 caissons. These decorative recesses are designed to reduce the weight of the vault and protect the dome from destruction. Scientists have calculated that the approximate weight of the dome is about five thousand tons. As the height of the vault increases, the thickness of its walls decreases and at the base of the window, located in the center of the dome, it is only 1.5 meters.

The hole, 9 meters in diameter, represents the eye to the sky. This is the only source of light and air in the building. The sunlight penetrating from above creates a smoky pillar, standing under which you can feel like a divine creation, ready to ascend to heaven. By the way, it was discovered that exactly at noon of the March equinox the sun illuminates the entrance to the Roman Pantheon. A similar effect is also observed on April 21, when the ancient Romans celebrated the anniversary of the founding of the city. At this time, the sun falls on the metal grille above the doorway, filling the colonnaded courtyard with light. Built on the orders of Hadrian, a great lover of lighting effects, the sun seemed to invite the emperor to enter the Pantheon, confirming his divine status. The sun's rays entering the temple through an opening in the dome also marked the days and hours.

The outer wall of the temple was originally covered with marble, which, alas, has not survived. Some fragments of marble decoration can be seen in the British Museum.

The entrance to the Pantheon is decorated with a majestic portico with a triangular pediment, once crowned with a bronze quadriga, which was later lost forever.

The three-row colonnade consists of sixteen Corinthian columns of pink and gray granite spanning one and a half meters, 12 meters high and weighing 60 tons. They were carved in the eastern mountains of Egypt, then rolled 100 km along logs to the Nile, and through Alexandria they were delivered to Ostia, the seaport of Rome. Initially, all the front eight columns of the porch were made of gray marble, and only the inner four were made of pink. In the 17th century, three corner columns collapsed and were replaced by two columns taken from the Baths of Nero and a column from the Villa of Domitian. In those ancient times, a short staircase led to the portico, which over time went deep underground.

With the fall of the Roman Empire, the fate of the Pantheon was not the easiest. At the very beginning of the 5th century, the Pantheon was closed, abandoned, and then completely plundered by the Visigoths.

In 608, the Byzantine Emperor Phocas transferred the building to Pope Boniface IV, and on May 13, 609, the Pantheon was consecrated as the Christian Church of the Holy Virgin Mary and the Martyrs. The same pope ordered that Christian martyrs be collected from Roman cemeteries and their remains placed in the church, which is why it got its name. Until that time, all Christian churches were located on the outskirts of the city, and the fact that the main pagan temple located in the very center of the city became Christian meant the dominant importance of the Christian religion in Rome.

Subsequent years and centuries sometimes made negative adjustments to the appearance of the Pantheon. During the period from the 7th to the 14th centuries, the Pantheon suffered many times and through the efforts of those in power, a lot of damage was done to it. The gilded bronze sheets covering the dome were removed by order of the Byzantine Emperor Constans II during his visit to Rome in 655, and the ships on which they were transported to Constantinople were plundered by Saracen pirates off the coast of Sicily. In 733, by order of Pope Gregory III, the dome was covered with lead plates, and in 1270 a bell tower in the Romanesque style was added above the portico of the Pantheon, giving the building an awkward appearance. Throughout all the innovations, the sculptures that decorated the façade of the building were lost.

From 1378 to 1417, during the residence of the popes in Avignon, the Pantheon acted as a fortress in the struggle between the powerful Roman families of Colonna and Orsini. With the return of the papacy to Rome under Pope Martin V, the restoration of the temple and the cleansing of the shacks attached to it began. In 1563, under Pope Pius IV, the bronze door, stolen by the Vandal army during the attack and sack of Rome in 455, was restored.

In the 17th century, by order of Pope Urban VIII Barberini, the bell tower was demolished, and by his order the bronze coverings of the portico were removed, which were used to cast cannons for the Castle of Sant'Angelo and to make screw columns for the canopy in St. Peter's Basilica. This act of vandalism was reflected in a saying invented by the inhabitants of Rome, who played on the pope’s surname: “Quod non Barbari Fecerunt Barberini” - “What the barbarians did not do, Barberini did.” The failed architectural project of the same pope, in the form of two small bell towers on the edges of the pediment of the Pantheon, was entrusted to Bernini, received the irreverent name “Bernini's donkey ears.” Eventually, in 1883, this ridiculous creation was demolished.

Subsequently, the Roman Pantheon became the national mausoleum of Italy. Its final resting place was such outstanding personalities as the architect Baldasare Peruzzi, the artist Annibale Carracci, kings Victor Emmanuel II and Umberto I, as well as the great Renaissance artist Raphael Santi.

Tomb of King Umbert I.

It is known that the outstanding artist was buried in the Pantheon. On September 14, 1833, with the permission of the Pope, the slab under the statue of the Madonna was opened to verify the fact of burial. Within a month, the found remains of Raphael were put on display, then they were placed in an ancient Roman sarcophagus on the lid of which the inscription “Here lies Raphael, during whose life great Nature was afraid to be defeated, and at the moment of his death, to die herself,” was carved. Above the tomb is a statue of the Madonna of the Rock, commissioned during his lifetime by Raphael himself and executed by Lorenzo Lotto in 1524.

Unlike other Christian churches in Rome with their luxurious facades, the façade of the Pantheon does not prepare the visitor for the beauty of its interior. However, once you walk through the gigantic door, which is about 7.50 meters wide and 12.60 meters high, you are faced with a truly impressive magnificence.

Interior of the Pantheon in the 18th century, painted by Giovanni Paolo Panini.

The interior decoration underwent more significant changes - the upper part of the walls was covered with marble inlay, and the floor was paved with multi-colored slabs of marble, porphyry and granite. During the 15th to 17th centuries, false niches and altars were added, decorated with various relics and works of art, the most significant of which is the painting of the Annunciation by Melozzo da Forli.

And a few more photos from the interior of the Pantheon.

Despite the fact that the Pantheon has long ceased to be just a place for communication with God, it is still used as a church, for example, during significant Christian holidays, masses are held there.

The doors of the Pantheon are open daily from 9.00 to 19.30, and on Sundays - until 19.00. But it’s best to come early in the morning, when the square is empty and you can calmly take pictures. And from the beginning of the opening, get into the Pantheon and also walk through its hall without crowds.

(Italian Pantheon) is a historical and architectural monument of Ancient Rome. Originally known as antique Temple of all Gods, however, after the fall of the Roman Empire it was consecrated as the Christian Church of St. Mary and the Martyrs.

Pantheon of Agrippa

Pantheon of Agrippa

The first building of the Pantheon was built in 27–25 BC. Its name comes from two Greek words: “pan” - “all” and “theon” - “divine”. It was the "Temple of All Gods", dedicated to the main Roman gods (Neptune, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Pluto, Mercury and Saturn). The construction was supervised by the consul Marcus Agrippa, friend and son-in-law of Emperor Augustus. Agrippa's Pantheon faced south and had a rectangular shape. The walls were made of travertine blocks lined with marble slabs. On the pediment of the building, in bronze letters, was laid out the inscription “M. Agrippa L F cos Tertium Fecit" (“Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, elected consul for the third time, erected this”). The façade was decorated with statues and caryatids. Pliny left the following words about the attraction: “The caryatids on the columns of the temple are extremely beautiful, and the capitals of these columns are made of Syracuse copper.”

The Pantheon of Agrippa was surrounded by a small square paved with travertine slabs. On the opposite side of the square was the Temple of Neptune. The first Pantheon was destroyed during a three-day fire in 80 AD, but along with other temples it was completely rebuilt during the restoration work of Emperor Domitian. Its ruins are now located at a depth of 2.5 meters.

Construction of the modern Pantheon (Rome)

The Pantheon of Agrippa, once again destroyed during the reign of Trajan (it was struck by lightning), was completely rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian, who wrote in his memoirs: “I wanted this sanctuary of all gods to represent the globe and the celestial sphere.” Therefore, Hadrian's Pantheon became virtually a new building.

The markings on the bricks of the Pantheon, found as a result of research, indicate the period of 115-127, when the construction of the structure was supposedly carried out according to the design of the famous architect of that time, Apollodorus of Damascus. He designed and built many buildings and structures in Rome. For example, the Baths of Trajan, the Triumphal Arch of Trajan and the Port of Trajan in Ostia. Apollodorus continued to work after the death of Trajan, when Hadrian became emperor.

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Pantheon architecture

According to the project of Apollodorus, the Pantheon was oriented to the north, and its size was significantly increased. The structure was erected on a podium, to which 8 steps led. Gradually, the level of the ground around the Pantheon increased, and now it is located even in a shallow depression.

The structure of the temple has a cylindrical shape, representing a round rotunda. The height of the dome from the floor is equal to its diameter (43 meters), that is, the internal space of the temple can accommodate a full sphere - an ideal shape symbolizing the image of the Universe. The architectural appearance of the Pantheon embodied the Romans' ideas about the universe. The dome of the temple represents the vault of heaven, illuminated by the main celestial body - the Sun. The dome's ceiling is coffered and was originally gilded. Light penetrates through " Eye of the Pantheon"(oculus) - a single round hole with a diameter of 8.5 meters in the center of the vault. Every year on June 21 (the summer equinox), at noon, the sun passes through the Eye of the Pantheon and illuminates everyone who enters the main door of the temple with a beam of light. The floor is designed to be slightly convex, which helps drain rainwater into special openings that are part of a complex underground drainage system.

The walls, more than six meters thick, form a complex and well-designed structure that helps support the high dome. The composition of the concrete from which the walls were built varies depending on the height. The lower tier consists of concrete with travertine chips, followed by belts with lighter tuff or pumice fillers.

Facade The Pantheon is formed by a massive portico with a pediment. The portico is paved with slabs of colored marble arranged in a pattern of circles and squares, and includes 16 Corinthian granite columns with white marble capitals. The columns, 14 meters high, support a marble entablature and a triangular pediment on which is an inscription from the old Pantheon of Agrippa. In the space under the triangular pediment, holes for attaching decorative bronze trim are visible. Presumably, a bronze eagle with outstretched wings was attached here, holding an oak wreath in its beak, a symbol of power.

Gable The building was also decorated with bronze figures, statues and decorative elements, presumably made by Diogenes of Athens. Subsequently, by order of Pope Urban VIII, all the bronze decorations from the facade were used by the architect Bernini in the construction of St. Peter's Basilica. Such a barbaric act served as a reason for the libel that was famous at that time: “What the barbarians did not do, the Barberini family did” (“quod non fecerunt barbari - fecerunt Barberini”).

Pronaos(the passage or front hall of the Pantheon) connects the portico with the round hall. The outer walls of the pronaos are partly lined with marble blocks, partly covered with marble cladding. The pronaos is rectangular in shape and has three rows of Corinthian columns, eight of gray granite in the front row and eight of red. The pronaos contained statues of Emperor Augustus and Agrippa.

Large bronze doors, presumably preserved from ancient times and restored in the 16th century, lead to the round hall of the Pantheon. Its walls inside are covered with slabs of colored marble. On the lower level there are seven large niches, alternately trapezoidal and rounded. The niches are dedicated to the five planets that the Romans knew about, as well as to the luminaries - the Sun and the Moon. On the upper level above these niches there are rooms accessible through an external gallery. Previously, the Pantheon contained statues of seven gods, which were later replaced by statues of saints. These were statues of the most revered gods of Roman mythology (Neptune, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Pluto, Mercury and Saturn).

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History of the Pantheon after the fall of the Roman Empire

The Pantheon was saved from destruction in the early Middle Ages, thanks to the fact that in 608 the Byzantine Emperor Phocas donated it to Pope Boniface IV, who turned the building into a church. The following year, the Pantheon was solemnly consecrated as the Church of St. Mary and the Martyrs (Santa Maria ad Martires). The name was given in honor of the relics of Christian martyrs, which were transported from the catacombs of Rome to the Pantheon. However, in 655, Constans II, Emperor of Constantinople, during a visit to Rome, removed some bronze decorations and gilded tiles from the temple. Only at the beginning of the 8th century, during the reign of Pope Gregory III, the building was covered with a lead roof. Until the 14th century, the Pantheon was repeatedly abandoned (for example, during the stay of the popes in Avignon). In the years 1378-1417, the temple became a fortress in the struggle between the Roman families of Colonna and Orsini.

Immediately after the temple was converted into a church, all objects associated with the pagan cult were destroyed, and statues of Christian saints and paintings of biblical subjects appeared in their place. The Pantheon now has an altar and an apse commissioned by Pope Clement XI and designed by Alessandro Specchi. In the apse there is a copy of the Byzantine icon of the Madonna. The original icon is now in the Vatican. In 1840, a choir designed by Luigi Poletti was added.

Inside the main hall there are eight niches, one of which is the entrance, and in the others there are seven statues of saints: St. Anastasio, St. Agnes, Madonna del Cacco, St. Eracio, St. Nicholas, the Coronation of the Virgin sculpture, as well as a group sculpture of St. Anne and Holy Mother of God.

The walls in niches and chapels are painted with frescoes. The most famous are: “The Annunciation” by Melozzi da Forli, “Saint Lawrence and Saint Agnes” by Clement Maioli, “The Adoration of the Shepherds” by Francesco Cozza, as well as “The Adoration of the Magi” and “The Descent of the Holy Spirit” by Pietro Labrusi.

Burials in the Pantheon (Rome)

Starting from the Renaissance, the Pantheon, like all churches, began to arrange burials of outstanding people of their time. In particular, many famous artists, sculptors and musicians are buried here: painters Perino del Vaga, Annibale Carracci, Taddeo Zuccari, Giovanni da Udine, Rafael Santi and his bride Maria Bibbiena, architect Baldassare Peruzzi, sculptor Flaminio Vacca, musician Arcangelo Corelli.

There are also tombs of crowned persons from the Savoy dynasty. One of the first to be buried in the Pantheon was the first king of united Italy, Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy, a great fighter for the unity of his country, as evidenced by the inscription on his tombstone: “PADRE DELLA PATRIA” (Father of the Fatherland). Also here is the tomb of his son and successor, King Umberto I with his wife Margaret. The king was shot by a monarchist in 1900, and Margarita died 36 years later. The Royal Tombs are guarded by volunteers from the National Institute of Honorary Guard, founded in 1878.

The Pantheon is one of the few buildings of Antiquity that has been preserved in a condition that gives us a complete picture of the monumental architecture of Ancient Rome. Despite all the vicissitudes that have befallen over the past centuries, the Pantheon today remains a symbol of the greatness of the Roman Empire.

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