The Pantheon – Rome – 126 AD
Pantheon – 17th Century — This drawing by Giovanni Battista Falda dates back to the late 17th century. The Pantheon was defined as a temple to all gods. Pope Urban VIII (1623-1644) added the two bell towers designed by Bernini. They were removed in 1833.
Map — A 1625 map by Giovanni Maggi shows the Pantheon within its environment.
A lasting attraction — Every day hundreds of visitors enter the Pantheon through its grand doors and into its exquisite symmetry.
Memorial niches — Along the interior walls, marble columns frame niches with memorial portrait busts.
Elaborate crowns — Corinthian capitals crown the columns in the alcoves.
High altar — Using the design of Alessandro Specchi, Pope Clement XI (1700-1721) rebuilt the high altar and apse in the sanctuary.
Chapels — The Pantheon, dedicated as a Catholic church and renamed Santa Maria ad Martyres (Our Lady and the Martyrs) has several small chapels, each decorated with priceless artwork.
The Eye — Sunlight beams through the Pantheon’s oculus, down upon a throng of tourists.
Admired through the ages — No one knows the Pantheon’s exact age, but people – including notables such as Michelangelo – have admired it for centuries.