Sunday, May 29, 2011

the Pantheon…

The Pantheon is 2000 years old and still in great condition. Going here made me realize what great architects those Romans were and what incredible builders. I won’t bore you with details, but the way they built that dome to support the roof and the oculus which lights the whole building are really brilliant.

The columns in the portical (in front of the Pantheon) were made from one solid piece of granite taken from Egyptian tombs! That is some solid granite!


Here is the dome:




The Pantheon (which means all "pan" gods "theon") has several chapels around the interior of the building. Each originally had a statue of a pagan god. When the Christians took over, they made each a chapel.

It soon became a popular burial spot for the most important people. Kings were buried there. Artists as well...


This is where Raphael is buried:




In the main chapel, there is this artwork made of wood. They say it was made by St. Luke (as in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Who knew St. Luke was an artist??



I loved how they put holes in the marble floor to allow the rain that might fall through the oculus to drain through to the underground (where they had a sophisticated drainage system organized.)


Here is the back of the Pantheon. You can see the detailed arches and foundation work. 2,000 years old!



I also learned that you should never ask a stranger to take your picture who doesn't themself have a camera around their neck....you might end up with a picture like this:



We finished the day with the big night walk from the Campo de Fiori to the Piazza dei Popolo. A perfect way to end our visit in Rome. The kids all walked the entire way (and didn’t complain!)





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