Pantheon

pantheon (păn`thēŏn', –thēən), term applied originally to a temple to all the gods. The

Pantheon at Rome was built by Agrippa in 27 B.C., destroyed, and rebuilt in the 2d cent. by Hadrian. Remarkably well preserved, it is mainly of brick with a great hemispherical dome whose supporting walls are set in concrete. In 609 it was converted into a Christian church consecrated to Santa Maria dei Martiri. The term is now applied to a monument in which illustrious dead are buried. The

Panthéon (päNtāôN`) in Paris was designed by J. G. Soufflot and was begun in 1764; the dome was completed (1781) after his death. An earlier church on the site was dedicated to St. Geneviève. The Panthéon was several times secularized and reconsecrated, becoming finally a mausoleum and memorial for France's illustrious citizens.

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Pantheon

Pantheon, Rome, begun by Agrippa in 27 BC, completely rebuilt by Hadrian c. AD …

(credit: Frederico Arborio Mella)

Building in Rome begun 27 BC, probably as an ordinary rectangular Classical temple, and completely rebuilt by Hadrian (c. AD 118–128). It is remarkable for its size and design; the exact method of construction has never been determined. A circular building of concrete faced with brick, it has a great concrete dome, 142 ft (43 m) in diameter, and a front porch of Corinthian columns with a triangular pediment. The vast space is lit solely by the 27-ft (8-m) oculus at the dome's centre. The interior is lined with coloured marble, and the walls are marked by seven deep recesses screened by pairs of columns.