One
of the Piazzas we walked into featured the Pantheon,
the city's only architecturally intact monument from
classical times. This church is the glory of Rome. Here
are some interesting facts about the Pantheon:
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The
interior measures 43.4 meters in width and height.
|
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The
only source of light for the whole temple enters
through the eyehole in the roof (an oculus, almost
9 meters across). Rain does fall through this opening,
but it is carried off by drainage holes in the center
of the floor. |
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Many
famous kings, queens, and painters are buried in
the niches around the perimeter in the Pantheon.
Among the most famous people buried here are Raphael,
"the most popular among all the painters"
(he died at age 37), and his fiance, Maria Bibbiena. |
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The
bronze doors in the entrance to the temple are the
original doors. |
| * |
During
the Italian Wars, many of the bronze and other metal
decorations were taken from the Pantheon and used
to make weapons. People also tried to knock down
the outside pillars to use the large amounts of
marble elsewhere. However, all of their attempts
failed to pull down these solid pieces. You can
still see marks around the outer pillars where chains
were used to try to pull them down. |
NOTE:
While we were there, the temple was under repair, so
there was a huge, white contraption blocking part of
the interior. |
