When in Rome… Pantheon
This Rome information blog was written for the guests of the B&B Chaplin Hostel in Rome and the Bed and Breakfast Little Italy.
Practical informationWhere: Piazza della Rotonda Pantheon Hotels: A list of luxury hotels in the center of Rome |
 Oculare of Pantheon |
History
The first Pantheon in Rome was built by Agrippa, Augustus’ advisor, between 27BC and 25BC. He was the son-in-law of the Roman Emperor Augustus and his name is carved in stone above the entrance. “M. AGRIPPA L. F. COS. TERTIUM FECIT” which is translated, “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, during his third consulate, built it.” Several fires, notably in 80AD and 110D, damaged or destroyed parts of the Pantheon over the years and it was almost completely rebuilt around 125AD, during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. We know this through date stamps on individual bricks. Strangely enough it was Hadrian who, instead of ascribing the building to his own humble self, had Agrippa’s name put above the portico.
Hadrian was a well-traveled man who greatly admired Greek culture. The word Pantheon derives from the Greek “Pantheion”, meaning “Temple of all the Gods”. It was originally built as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets, a symbolical gesture to the subjects of the Roman Empire who either did not worship the old Roman Gods at all, or did so, but under different names.
There is a smaller inscription, dated 202, ascribing later repairs to Septimus Severus and Caracalla.
In 609, after having been given to Pope Boniface IV by the Byzantine emperor Phocas, the Pantheon was converted into a church dedicated to the Madonna and all the Martyr Saints (Santa Maria ad Martyres), which is probably what protected it from the destruction and spoliation which was the fate of many other contemporary temples in the medieval period. The Pantheon is the oldest important building in the world with its original roof still intact.
In the course of the years much external marble has been removed. Capitals from some of the pilasters can now be found in the British Museum and in 663 the emperor Constans II had the bronze tiles taken off the roof and sent to Constantinople. During the reign of Pope Urban VIII (obit. 1644), who was a member of the Barberini family, the bronze ceiling of the portico was ordered to be melted down. This led to the Latin proverb, Quod non fecerunt barbari, fecerunt Barberini (What the Barbarians did not do, the Barberini’s did). Most of the bronze was used to make bombards for the fortification of Castel Sant’Angelo.
Since the Renaissance the Pantheon has been used as a tomb for, a.o. the painters Raphael and the architect Baldassare Peruzzi. The kings Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I (with his queen, Margherita) are also buried in the Pantheon. Though Italy became a Republic after World war II, volunteer members of monarchist organizations are allowed by the Catholic church to maintain a vigil over the Royal Tombs.
How to get to the Pantheon from the Chaplin Hostel Rome and the Bed and Breakfast Little Italy:
From both the Bed & Breakfast Chaplin Hostel Rome and the Little Italy B&B Rome you walk to Termini (from the Little Italy you can also take the metro, 1 stop on line A), look for bus 64 or 40 Express (on the left side of the bus square) and get off at the Piazza Argentina stop on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. Turn right into either the Via di Torre Argentina or the Via dei Cestari and walk on till you come to Piazza della Rotonda.
One of the most famous hotels near the Pantheon is the 3 star Hotel Abruzzi. We recommend that, the central location of the hotel being what it is, plus the hotel being listed in almost every guide book, you book as early as possible.
