Piazza della Rotonda
The Pantheon
Rome Italy
2016

IS THE PANTHEON LIKE A SOLAR TEMPLE?

When we are inside the Pantheon on a sunny day we can see a large disc of light playing over the vault and walls. The course of the sun in the sky causes this light inside the building to behave differently every day of the year, but the same pattern is repeated every year on that same day. At the winter solstice the disc of sunlight entering through the oculus at midday strikes the highest caisson. At the Spring and Autumn equinoxes the sunlight strikes the cornice marking the lower edge of the caissons, and at the summer solstice it illuminates the visitor at the entrance. The light striking in a zenith direction has a special mystical meaning and symbolises a direct connection between the gods and men, without any religious intermediaries. The ray of light that enters from the oculus in the centre of the cupola moves according to the time of day and transforms the Pantheon into an astrological observatory to all the Gods.


The history of Pantheon
The Pantheon has represented the greatest expression of the glory of Rome for more than two thousand years. The story of the Pantheon is inseparably tied to the Eternal City. and been its image through the centuries.

Built by Agrippa between 25 and 27 BC the Pantheon was a temple dedicated to the twelve Gods and to the living Sovran. Traditionally it is believed that the present building is result of the radical reconstruction by Hadrian between 118 and 125 AD. It is the only ancient Roman building that has remained practically intact through the centuries. In 608 Pope Boniface IV had the remains of many martyrs removed from the Christian catacombs and placed in the Pantheon.

Thereafter the temple was officially converted to Christianity and named Saint Maria ad Martyres. The Pantheon was an inspiration to Raphael, one of the greatest architects of the Renaissance, and he requested it be his place of eternal rest.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon,_Rome

The Pantheon is a former Roman temple, now a church, in Rome, Italy, on the site of an earlier temple commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus.

The Piazza della Rotonda is a piazza in Rome, Italy, on the south side of which is located the Pantheon. The square gets its name from the Pantheon's informal title as the church of Santa Maria Rotonda.

Piazza della Rotonda is the square right outside the Pantheon. As the Pantheon’s informal name is the church of Santa Maria Rotonda, that’s how the piazza gets the name.

The piazza is not always like the way we see today. The fountain wasn’t built until 1575 and the obelisk was added to it in 1711 under Pope Clement XI.

The square was full of shops and sheds at one point. In the 19th century, the piazza was famous for being a bird market, along side were flower, fruit, vegetables and cake stalls. It’s certainly a busy and hectic market, as described by various travellers and tourist guidebook at the time.

The area was in danger when Napoleon called for demolition of the buildings around the Pantheon during his rule. Luckily it was never implemented because of the short span of the French rule (1809-1814). There were only a few buildings being demolished in order to enlarge the piazza at a later period.

The Fountain and Obelisk
As we know fountains in Rome is the source of drinking water to the public. One of the old aqueducts Aqua Virgo had failed to work so repairing and reconstruction took place. In 1453, the Aqua Vergine was constructed. But it’s not until 1570 when Giacomo della Porta was commissioned to launch a big project to extend the distribution of water by constructing 18 new fountains in the area. The Fontana del Pantheon is one of the 18 fountains and it was finished in 1575.

The obelisk was one of a pair of obelisks originally from the Temple of Ra in Heliopolis. One was placed in the Piaaza di San Macuto about 200 meters east of the Pantheon and the other one is still in the Piazza della Minerva (round the back of the Pantheon) erected on the elephant base. In 1711, sculptor Filippo Barigioni was asked to move the obelisk from Piaaza di San Macuto to the current position. That’s why the obelisk is still called Obelisco Macutèo.



Inside the Pantheon ~ Three of them are tombs : one the final resting place of the great artist Raphael, the other two are Kings of the unified Italy, including Vittorio Emanuele, known as the 'Father of the Nation', whose tomb is often guarded by a volunteer.