The Pantheon

Gentle Readers,

This blog post was written by the incomparable Nicole Curcio and Amanda Lee. 

The Pantheon seen today is one of Rome’s most widely known temples, dedicated pan theos, which means “all of the gods.” The Pantheon was built between 118 and 125 AD. The temple was originally built by Marcus Agrippa but then replaced by Domician after Agrippa’s pantheon was burned to the ground. Finally, Trajan started the Pantheon seen today, but Hadrian completed it. Hadrian almost never included his name on buildings he created, which is why today the Pantheon still has Marcus Agrippa’s name on it. (Rome: An Oxford Archeological Guide by Amanda Claridge).

Pantheon with Inscription, which Reads, "M. Agrippa...built this"

One of the most important architectural features in the Pantheon is the several arches used to support the famous dome. One of the major arches used is the relieving arch. There are many weak spots due to the structure of the dome, so they are used to distribute the weight of gravity evenly to keep the weight from focusing in one place and crumbling the dome. This is especially important considering that within the rotunda, there are eight places when stone is more fortified for the stressors of the dome.  This feature allows structures like the Pantheon to stay standing while keeping the general structure wanted as it does not change the dome shape and is not always clearly seen. Because of these reliving arches, the rotunda can be open without any other weight bearing structures inside of the rotunda except for the outside walls. Inside of the rotunda is extremely large and is equal in length and height, creating a perfect sphere. (Rome and Environs: An Archeological Guide by Filippo Coarelli)

The engineers of the Pantheon also dealt with the weight by changing the aggregate and making it lighter as you go up the dome. The first layer is made of travertine, then a mixture of tufa and travertine, and completed with pumice at the top. Other materials, such as concrete were used for the foundation of the Pantheon. For decorative effects, the rotunda was once coated in white stucco, which was used to resemble expensive marble. Other decorative effects were used such as bronze doors leading into the building, weighing up to twenty tons. The famous oculus is also the only source of natural light, which is larger than it seems at twenty-seven feet in diameter.

Famous Dome with the "Oculus," or "Eye," which lets light in.

The pediment front is supported on monolithic shafts made of Egyptian granite, bases and capitals made of white Greek (Pentelic) marble. These structures were once coated in stucco to give a marble effect without needing the use marble.

Reentrant architecture was seen in the rotunda of the Pantheon. This is when there are alternating circle and square decorum. Reentrant architecture was big in ancient roman architecture because it added to the contrasting décor of the structures. This approach at unique architecture was also seen in Trajan’s market and basilica’s found in the Roman Forum. The marble seen on the floor below is a mixture of white, red, yellow, and grey/black marble.

The floor of the Pantheon, utilizing re-entrant architecture technique with different colored marbles.

Because the Pantheon was built in a polytheistic religious era, there are statues of many gods throughout the temple and it had a pagan affiliation. Because of this, when Christianity became the religion in Rome, the Pantheon was then abandoned. The decree of 408 ordered temples to be reused, which is why the Pantheon is in the great state that it currently is. Despite the pagan affiliation, in 609 AD, the Pantheon was consecrated into a Christian church. It is now dedicated to VirginMary and all of the martyrs.

Interior of Pantheon with modern decoration.