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| Pantheon (Rome) - Front. By Roberta Dragan Wikipedia |
The Pantheon (meaning "Temple of all the gods") is a building in Rome, which was originally commissioned by Roman statesman and architect Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD). It was built as a temple to the gods of Ancient Rome.
The Augustan Pantheon was destroyed along with other buildings in a huge fire in the year 80 AD. The emperor Domitian rebuilt the Pantheon temple, which burnt down again thirty years later.
The emperor Hadrian organized the rebuilding of the Pantheon, reconstructing the accustomed temple façade, with columns and pediment, but attaching it to a drum which was surmounted by the most spectacular dome of antiquity. The present building was completed and dedicated about 126 AD.
On May 13, 609 Pope Boniface IV converted the Roman Pantheon into a Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and all martyrs. To this day, the Catholic Church holds masses and weddings there.
1,900 years after the Pantheon was built it is still the tallest unreinforced concrete dome in the world at 142ft high. A combination of limestone and volcanic ash inside the concrete mix helped form crystals that prevented the spread of microscopic cracks.
The Augustan Pantheon was destroyed along with other buildings in a huge fire in the year 80 AD. The emperor Domitian rebuilt the Pantheon temple, which burnt down again thirty years later.
The emperor Hadrian organized the rebuilding of the Pantheon, reconstructing the accustomed temple façade, with columns and pediment, but attaching it to a drum which was surmounted by the most spectacular dome of antiquity. The present building was completed and dedicated about 126 AD.
On May 13, 609 Pope Boniface IV converted the Roman Pantheon into a Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and all martyrs. To this day, the Catholic Church holds masses and weddings there.
1,900 years after the Pantheon was built it is still the tallest unreinforced concrete dome in the world at 142ft high. A combination of limestone and volcanic ash inside the concrete mix helped form crystals that prevented the spread of microscopic cracks.
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