About the Pantheon: must know facts for your visit
No one comes to Rome and leaves without a visit to the Pantheon. A magnificent building with hundreds of centuries of history.
But what is actually the Pantheon? A temple, a church or a tomb? It’s all of them.
The Temple
Originally the Pantheon was built during the reign of Augustus by his son-in-law, Marcus Agrippa. It served as temple dedicated, as the name says, “to all the gods”. Inside, Agrippa placed the statues of main Roman gods and goddesses.
According to historians, a fire in 80 AD burned the temple but emperor Domitian promptly restored it. Apparently, it didn’t last long since in 110 AD a lighting destroyed it again. Luckily for us, few years later emperor Hadrian decided to rebuilt it.
Fun fact: The dome of the Pantheon holds the record for the biggest non-reinforced dome in history. In fact, all its weight is supported by the arches underneath.
The Church
In 609, Pope Boniface IV turned the Pantheon into a Christian Church – as also happened to other pagan buildings.
The Pope consecrated it to St. Mary and the Martyrs, taking their relics from the catacombs and placing them beneath the high altar.
This choice saved the original temple from destruction, abandonment and spoliation. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop Pope Boniface VIII from “stealing” its bronze decorations in the 17th century. Today, you can find them at Castel Sant’Angelo: Boniface VIII used them to make new cannons.
The Tomb
Starting from the Renaissance, the Pantheon has been used also as burial place. It hosts the tombs of artists like Raphael, Annibale Carracci and Baldassarre Peruzzi.
That’s not all: also the kings of Italy rest inside the Pantheon. In the right chapel there is Vittorio Emanuele II, first king of Italy. On the opposite side there is his son, Umberto I, with his wife, Queen Margherita.
However, the burial of the kings caused many disagreements. In fact, according to the tradition all members of the family Savoia must rest in Turin, inside the Basilica of Superga.
Plan your visit
The Pantheon is open every day, from 9AM to 7 PM. As all the churches in Rome, you won’t need a ticket to enter inside.
We recommend you to visit the Pantheon together with a guide: there are still many interesting things about this monument. You may also include it in a walking tour of the city center – known as “Baroque Tour of Rome”.
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