Pantheon, Rome
Placed in Piazza della Rotonda near Piazza Minerva it
was named Pantheon because it was a temple dedicated to several
divinities. Thanks, first, to the restoration by Domiziano, and
then to the reconstruction by Adriano in 130 A.D., it has remained
nearly integral. In 609 A.D. this temple was given by Emperor Foca
to Pope Bonifacio IV and changed into a church; this is the reason
why it is still in excellent conditions.Nearly all what you can
admire was built in Roman age, even the dome, 43,4 metres high, and
the solid bronze door. The arcade is decorated, inside, with
valuable polychrome marbles whereas its façade has 16 monolithic
granitic columns which are 14 metres high. Inside, the Pantheon has
a circular plan and a stately lacunar dome. The only opening is in
the middle of the dome and creates a luminous effect that exalts
the grandiosity and the harmony of this monument. In its chapels
there are numerous works of art and the tombs of the Italian royal
families, of Baldassarre Peruzzi and Taddeo Zuccari and, above all,
there is Raffaello's grave.
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