Pantheon

The exact date of the construction of the temple is not clear although legends hold that it was first put forth in the 27th AD as the Romulus remembrance site as he had ascended to heaven while standing at the spot (Rolling Rome S.r.l. 3). However, the building as it is known today was renovated by Emperor Hadrian driven by his passion for architecture.

The most intriguing part of the building is its massive towering dome with a famous hole at the top. The columns supporting the dome are alsowidely placed making it the world’s largest unsupported dome (Rolling Rome S.r.l. 5). The interior of the dome was constructed with slightly lighter material and with a steeper gradient making it appear flattened from the outside.

The hole was strategically left to act as the path way between the gods and the users. It also serves as the only source of lighting around the dome perimeter. Although rain follows through it sometimes, the floors are slanted to drain away the water keeping the surface free from flooding (Jones et al., 70).

The large oculus serves as the only window structure in the inside and the main source of sunlight (Rolling Rome S.r.l. 7). The interior’s shape is cylinder like with its radius being equal to the height. The floor is made up of a decorated pattern of marble portraying the classical roman traditional way of building decoration. Tombs of are also deceased figures who held a special role in the community are also housed in the temple emphasising its social design functions (Rolling Rome S.r.l. 8).

The building is constructed in such a manner that a lighting effect is normally observed when the metal grille above the door way interacts with the midday sun giving it a glamorous appearance (Rolling Rome S.r.l. 8). These among other considerations make the temple one of the most outstanding architectural pieces to date.

Works Cited

Jones, Mark Wilson. “The Pantheon and the Phasing of its Construction.” Grasshoff, Heinzelmann, and Wäfler (2009): 69-87.

Rolling Rome S.r.l. “Interesting Facts about Rome's Pantheon Ancient wonder.” Romal, 2014, http://romeonsegway.com/10-facts-about-the-pantheon/. Accessed April 22, 2018.