The Pantheon

Sunday, March 20, 2011 (Part 5)

We had tried to see the Pantheon (inside) on Saturday, but we were frustrated because a religious service was taking place and entry to the public was not being permitted. So, following our tour of Ancient Rome, we made our way to the Pantheon. This time, we were successful. It was open, and it was very crowded.

I am surprised at how much more crowded Rome is on this Spring weekend -- as compared to my visit here in September 2009. I think of September as still very much a part of the peak tourist season, and I was expecting March to be much more quiet. Of course, I had failed to factor in the impact of the Rome

Marathon! All weekend, we ran into large crowds of visitors just about everywhere, and the Pantheon was no exception.

The Pantheon, which means "all the gods," was designed by the Emperor Hadrian and was built in the second century A.D. The architectural highlight of the Pantheon is its dome. It was created by pouring concrete into forms supported by temporary wooden frames. The walls of the dome are 17 feet thick, and the inside contains hollow decorative coffers designed to reduce the overall weight of the structure. In the center of the dome is a large hole, called an oculus, which is the only source of light inside the Pantheon.

Another noteworthy feature of the Pantheon is that it is the resting place for the tomb of Raphael. Raphael was a contemporary of Michaelangelo but, unlike Michaelangelo, Raphael died young, at age 36. Raphael specifically requested that he be buried in the Pantheon.