The
Pantheon is the best preserved building in all of
Rome. That's because it is one of the few that has
been spared by religious turmoil. It was erected as
a temple to honor the Roman gods. Inside, there used
to be statues of all the gods ringing a ceremonial
altar. That is where animals were sacrificed and burned.
The smoke went out through at 27-foot-wide hole in
the dome. That hole became known as the "all-seeing
eye of Heaven" after early Christians took over the
building around 600. They claimed to be possessed
by demons whenever they walked by. Turning it into
a church sanctified the land, and presumably drove
the demons elsewhere. More importantly, it kept the
building in favor with the rulers of the time, and
spared it the indignity that befell the other great
buildings of the city. Architecturally, the building
is a marvel. In the second century Emperor Hadrian
personally designed the building you see today to
replace the earlier temple, which had burned. Construction
was finished in 125, and the 20-ton bronze doors have
been in service almost since then. For 1,800 years
they have stood as silent sentinels greeting visitors
from every land. The dome's diameter is equal to the
height of the walls -- 142 feet. To support such a
massive structure, the walls had to be made 25-feet
thick. It was this building that Michaelangelo studied
before taking on Saint Peter's, which has a dome just
two-feet smaller. In fact, until 1960 it was the largest
dome ever built. Any record that stands for 1,835
years has to be respected.
