The Pantheon in Rome

Pantheon seen from the front right

The Pantheon was built in 118 to 126, and was a Roman temple. Today it is a functioning church, known as Chiesa di Santa Maria ad Martyres.

The Parthenon cupola seen fro mthe Vittorio Emmanuele II monument

The cupola of the Pantheon is 43,2 meters (142 feet) wide, an impressive feat which was not repeated again until the Florence Cathedral was built in 1420-1436. When Michelangelo built the dome on Sct. Peter's Cathedral, he kept it a bit smaller, at 42 meters width, out of respect to the Pantheon and its builders.

The Parthenon inside - floor to cupola opening

As the Pantheon inside is basically a half sphere, the top of the cupola is 43,3 meters up.

The Pantheon cupola opening

The cupola opening or oculus itself is 8,7 meters (29 feet) wide. Note that it is an opening, not covered with glass.

The Tomb of the artist Raphael in the Pantheon

The artist Raphael was buried in the Pantheon at his own request, and in recognition of his achievements.

The cupola opening is open - this is rain water on the floor at a rainy day

The opening in the cupola is open - there is no glass or anything similar in it. Therefore rain water appears on the Pantheon floor when it rains outside, as it comes in directly through the cupola opening or oculus. If you look closely at the floor, you can see rain water drains, holes in groups of four, in the floor.

 

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