ROM-03 • monuments118 AD - 125 AD
Pantheon (Santa Maria ad Martyres)
Unreinforced concrete dome marvel preserving two millennia of Roman engineering
41.898600°N, 12.476900°E•city Axis
Documented Historiographical History
Built by Marcus Agrippa in 27 BC and completely rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian around 125 AD. Converted into a Christian church in 609 AD by Pope Boniface IV.
Architectural & Symbolic Reading
A cosmic sphere of perfect proportions: the interior height and dome diameter are exactly identical at 43.3 meters (142 feet).
Historical Legends & Mysteries
Esoteric legends claimed the 9-meter central oculus was punched open by the devil fleeing when the building was consecrated as a church.
Insider Curiosities & Secret Facts
•It remains the largest unreinforced solid concrete dome in the entire world after 2,000 years.
•Rainwater falls directly through the 9-meter open oculus and drains through 22 concealed holes in the convex floor.
•Painter Raphael and King Vittorio Emanuele II are buried inside.
Related Tags:#Pantheon#Hadrian#Oculus#Concrete Dome#Raphael
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