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The magnificent and ancient pagan temple of the Pantheon was once thought to have been built by Agrippa about 27 years before the birth of Jesus, after the battle of Actium. Over two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. It underwent renovations by successive emperors, finally being given in 608 to Pope Bonitace IV, who converted it into a church, dedicated to the Mother of God and to all the holy martyrs. It is one of the finest and most enduring pieces of architecture that the world has known. The vast and elegant interior has little remarkable in the way of painting or sculpture, but it contains the tombs of several notable artists, such as Annibale Caracci, Pierin del Vaga, and above all, Raphael.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3A0_Ob%C3%A9lisque_de_Macuteo_-_Fontaine_Della_Porta_-_Panth%C3%A9on_(Rome).jpg
http://www.ancient.eu/uploads/images/1272.jpg?v=1431030477
The interior of the Pantheon in the 18th century, by Giovanni Paolo Panini
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon,_Rome#/media/File:Pantheon-panini.jpgThe interior of the Pantheon in the 18th century, by Giovanni Paolo Panini
Interior of the Pantheon 2011
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APanteon_inside_IMG_4126.jpgInterior of the Pantheon 2011
A few interesting tidbits about the ancient pantheon:
1) For centuries, the current building was thought to have been built by Agrippa, with later alterations, because of the inscription on the front of the temple which reads:
M·AGRIPPA·L·F·COS·TERTIVM·FECIT
"M[arcus] Agrippa L[ucii] f[ilius] co[n]s[ul] tertium fecit,"
meaning "Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, made [this building] when consul for the third time."
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APantheon_0904_2013.jpg
2) The Pantheon was destroyed in fires in AD 80 and 110, but rebuilt and dedicated by the Emperor Hadrian, who ruled between 117 and 138. Since Agrippa would hardly have claimed to have been consul for the 3rd time at the completion of the original Pantheon, it is thought that it received the inscription on a new pediment as a posthumous honor to Agrippa as the only man of his generation other than Augustus himself who held the consulship three times. So it is possible that even the portico is not original, and almost certainly, the domed part of the building dates to at least Hadrian's day.
3) It is not certain how the building was used originally, but eventually at least, it seems to have become a temple containing the statues of a number of gods. The Roman historian, Cassius Dio, a senator and consul who wrote a comprehensive History of Rome, approximately 75 years after the Pantheon's reconstruction wrote:
Agrippa finished the construction of the building called the Pantheon. It has this name, perhaps because it received among the images which decorated it, the statues of many gods, including Mars and Venus; but my own opinion of the name is that, because of its vaulted roof, it resembles the heavens.
— Cassius Dio, History of Rome 53.27.2
Coffered ceiling of the Pantheon
By User:MatthiasKabel - CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3639069Coffered ceiling of the Pantheon
4) In the painting earlier and in the photo above, you can see the coffered ceiling which was poured in molds, probably mounted on temporary scaffolding. The oculus (opening) is the main source of natural light.
5) Originally there were statues of the gods on the roof, and interestingly, one of Cleopatra's pearls was cut in half so that each half "might serve as pendants for the ears of Venus, in the Pantheon at Rome," or so writes Pliny the Elder in his Natural History.
The Medieval Pantheon
The Medieval Pantheon
In 609, the Byzantine emperor Phocas gave the Pantheon to Pope Boniface IV, who converted it into a Christian church and consecrated it to Santa Maria ad Martyres (Holy Mary and all the martyrs). All the pagan statuary and inscriptions were removed, and it was rededicated as a church "so that the commemoration of the saints would take place henceforth where not gods but demons were formerly worshipped." John the Deacon, Monumenta Germaniae Historia (1848) 7.8.20. Twenty-eight cartloads of holy relics of martyrs were brought from the catacombs and placed in a porphyry basin beneath the high altar.
Much of the fine marble in the building was removed over the centuries. If you study the capitals on the left of the portico in the photo above, you will notice that they are different from those across the front of the building and on the right of the portico.
Renaissance Pantheon
Renaissance Pantheon
Since the Renaissance, the Pantheon has been mainly used as a tomb for such notables as Raphael, whose tomb is seen in the photo below, but it is still a Catholic church, with Masses celebrated on Sundays and holy days of obligation, and is occasionally used for weddings.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APantheon-raphaels-tomb.jpg
The Pantheon is of considerable architectural interest. The drawing below demonstrates how a 43.3 m diameter sphere fits under its dome:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APantheon_section_sphere.svg
The drawing on the right shows the floor plan of the pantheon as its stands today.
Floor plan of the Pantheon
by Georg Dehio/Gustav von Bezold: Kirchliche Baukunst des Abendlandes. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ADehio_1_Pantheon_Floor_plan.jpgFloor plan of the Pantheon
The materials used in the concrete of the dome vary from bottom to top. At the lowest level, and thickest point, the aggregate is travertine, next terracotta tiles, then at the very top, tufa and pumice, both porous and very light stones. At the very top, where the dome would be at its weakest and vulnerable to collapse, the oculus actually lightens the load, in addition to functionally providing for light and ventilation. The stress inherent in the structure of the dome was substantially reduced by the use of successively less dense substances, such as the small pieces of pumice, in the highest layers of the dome. If normal weight concrete and stones had been used throughout, the stress in the arch would have been as much as 80% greater, and it probably would not have survived these 20 centuries. Certainly other structures in Rome of the same antiquity have succumbed to earthquakes and other ravages of nature and of men during the multiple sacks of Rome.
Modern Period
Modern Period
Two kings of Italy are buried in the Pantheon: Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I, as well as Umberto's Queen, Margherita. The Pantheon has been enormously influential in Western architecture from at least the Renaissance on; starting with Brunelleschi's 42-meter dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, completed in 1436. The Pantheon still serves as a prototype for many buildings today, indeed, in the 19th and 20th centuries it enjoyed an upswing in architectural usage of its structure as inspiration for modern buildings.
Views of the Pantheon:
Views of the Pantheon:
The photo below shows a beam of sunlight which is very effective in illuminating the interior of the Pantheon through the oculus at the apex of the dome. The light from the oculus moves around the floor in a reverse sundial effect. The oculus also serves as means for cooling and ventilation of the building.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABeam_in_the_dome_of_the_Pantheon.jpg
In the foreground of the picture below, you can see 4 holes in the floor, which is the only evidence of the drainage system below the floor, which during storms, carries away the rain that falls through the oculus.
By Wknight94 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5041649
Here the dome of the Pantheon can be seen rising above the surrounding buildings - seen from the Janiculum hill.
By Bjørn Christian Tørrissen - http://bjornfree.com/galleries.html, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22848125
CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=389746
Below: the Pantheon rises across from the piazza of Sant Maria supra Minerva:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ARom%2C_Pantheon_bei_Nacht.jpg
Below: High altar and apse of the Pantheon
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3APantheon_panorama%2C_Rome_-_1.jpg
Panorama of a Mass in the Pantheon today:
Stational Liturgy for the Friday of the Octave of Easter
Stational Liturgy for the Friday of the Octave of Easter
With the Apostles, the martyrs received special veneration among the early Christians; their feasts are the oldest and most widely celebrated in the early liturgical calendars. It was the custom anciently in some places, to commemorate all those who shared in the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord, with a collective feast on the Friday of Easter Week, a custom still kept by Chaldean Christians. This is the reason why the Pantheon, which represents a memorial to all the martyrs, is the station for this day, the Friday of the Octave of Easter.
The early medieval Christians believed the Pantheon to have been a temple of all the countless gods of pagan Rome (although modern research has discounted the notion that at least its earliest purpose was as a temple). Its designation as a church was therefore understood to have re-dedicated it as a monument to the triumph of Christianity over every pagan cult and superstition. This idea fits well with the stational Mass Gospel reading, Matthew 28, 16-20:
16 And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
17 And seeing him they adored: but some doubted.
18 And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.
19 Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, & of the Son, & of the Holy Ghost.
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you always, even to the consummation of the world."
The communion antiphon taken from this passage states: “All power is given to me in heaven and in earth, alleluia; go and teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, alleluia, alleluia.”
PASCHALCAzT 2017 52Easter Friday - [ 4:59 ]
Below is a painting of The Pantheon, by Ippolito Caffi, early 19th century. Notice that at that time there were twin bell towers, once mistakenly attributed to Bernini, which were commissioned by Urban VIII Barberini (the pope of Galileo notoriety), to replace the medieval campanile (bell tower). They were affectionately called "the ass's ears," and were not removed until the late 19th century, in an effort to restore the building to its original appearance.
http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2012/04/station-churches-of-easter-octave.html#.Vv16FMeyxSQ
With joy we welcome all the angels and holy martyrs to our pilgrimage as we near the completion of our journey. Although we are often unaware, their intercession sustains us in our daily lives and especially in our times of trouble and suffering. Our cloud of witnesses is now enormous, and very catholic (universal), since the martyrs stretch from the first century of the church to the present-day, during which more of the faithful are being martyred than in any other era. May we remember them daily at the 3PM Hour of Mercy, that they will receive supernatural support in their sufferings and trials, and be blessed with a peaceful awareness of the nearness of the Lord and of our Mother Mary in their passion.
A little extra, just for the sake of joy . . . . .
A little extra, just for the sake of joy . . . . .
Remember the shower of white rose petals at Santa Maria Maggiore to commemorate the snowfall in July that told Pope Liberius where to build the church? Here at the Pantheon there is a shower of red rose petals on Pentecost to commemorate the Descent of the Holy Spirit on that day.
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