When in Rome… History of the Pantheon
| This When in Rome… blog article is written for the guests of the Hostel Chaplin Bed and Breakfast and B&B Little Italy in Rome.
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The Pantheon was built by Emperor Hadrian in 118 AD to replace an earlier temple destroyed by fire. It is the temple to “all the gods,” and was spared destruction because it was given to a religion with one god. It still functions as a Roman Catholic Church, with mass celebrated on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings.The earlier wooden temple was probably built by Agrippa in 27 BC (due to the inscription “M Agrippa….”) and destroyed by fire in 80 AD. It was the Emperor Hadrian who had Agrippa’s name and inscribed above the entrance, though, which was unexpectedly humble of the good man, since he was not afraid of a little boasting: “My intentions had been that this sanctuary of All Gods should reproduce the likeness of the terrestrial globe and of the stellar sphere.” When Christianity became more powerful (5th century) the temple was closed, to be reopened as a church by Pope Boniface IV after it had been given to him by the Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire Phocas. |
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