Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Raphael, marked by Lorenzetto's 1520 sculpture of the
Madonna del Sasso
(Madonna of
the Rock), and next door, the tombs of King Umberto I and Margherita of Savoy. Over on
the opposite side of the rotunda is the tomb of King Vittorio Emanuele II.
THE INSCRIPTION
For centuries the Latin inscription over the Pantheon's entrance led historians to believe that the current temple
was Marcus Agrippa's original. Certainly, the wording would suggest so, reading:
'M.AGRIPPA.L.F.COS.TERTIUM.FECIT' or 'Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, consul for the third time, built
this'. However, excavations in the 19th-century revealed traces of an earlier temple and scholars realised that
Hadrian had simply reinstated Agrippa's original inscription over his new temple.
According to the attendants who work at the Pantheon, the question tourists most often ask is: what hap-
pens when it rains? The answer is that rain gets in through the open oculus then rainwater drains away
through 22 almost-invisible holes in the sloping marble floor.
The Dome
The Pantheon's dome, considered the Romans' most important architectural achievement,
is the largest unreinforced concrete dome ever built. Its harmonious appearance is due to a
precisely calibrated symmetry - the diameter is equal to the building's interior height of
43.3m. Light enters through the central oculus, which served as a symbolic connection
between the temple and the gods as well as an important structural role - it absorbs and
redistributes the huge tensile forces. Radiating out from the oculus are five rows of 28
coffers (indented panels). These coffers were originally ornamented but more importantly
served to reduce the immense weight of the dome.
