PANTHEON (118-35 A.
D)
Pantheon is a well-preserved ancient temple in the centre of Rome. The Pantheon was completed under the rule of the Roman emperor Hadrian about A.D. 126. Hadrian dedicated the temple to all the Roman gods. Its name comes from the Greek word pantheion, which means place for all gods. The temple served as a Christian church from 609 until 1885. It then became a national shrine and the burial place for Italian national heroes. Famous Italians buried there include King Victor Emmanuel I and the Renaissance painter Raphael. The Pantheon was constructed largely of brick and concrete. It is a circular building that measures about 43 metres in diameter. It has a dome roof that rises about 43 metres above the floor at its highest point. A rectangular portico (porch) extends from the entrance of the building. The portico has a triangular roof that is supported by a row of eight Corinthian columns. Many of the engineering techniques used to build the Pantheon are still used today. The Pantheon was one of the first buildings to emphasize interior space rather than exterior form. The interior is beautifully and evenly lit by an oculus (opening) that measures 9 metres in diameter at the top of the dome. The proportions of the central space have been praised for their harmony. The bronze doors at the entrance and some of the marble used in the interior decoration are part of the original construction of the Pantheon.
The first Pantheon which was small rectangular and had
north entrance was built in 27 B.C. by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. After it buned down twice by fire, the Emperor Hadrian built again with huge round hall and dome.
The interior is a perfect circle which diameter and height are exactly same, 43m. The wall is 6.05m thick and on the lower level are seven niches with a pair of Corinthian columns. The lower level and the second level are divided by the cornis in the ratio of a square root of 2 to 1. Exterior walls are divided into two zone by the cornis but no correspondence with the height of the interior cornis.
The hemispherical dome has the skylight oculus of 8.9m in diameter. The second level is the re-design in 1747 which consists of a row of blind windows alternating with square designs. Now one span of the second level was restored to the original state as seen in the whitish part of above image, that is six Corinthian columns with two niches.
The real columns and pilasters of lower level are repeated again on the upper walls as graphic images. This kind of design technique, the repeat and the superimpose are frequently used in high Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque and of course in modern age. The interior is a perfect circle whose diameter and height are exactly the same, 43m. The interior design of the hemispherical dome was quoted by Michelangelo in the new Sacristy of San Lorenzo (Firenze, Italy). The second level consists of a row of blind windows alternating with square designs, which is the re-design in 1747.
The oculus is 8.9m in
diameter.
The void oculus brings the silent light to the real wall and it moves in the time and the space.
The floor is paved by the marble with circular and cubic pattern. The wall is covered with marbles which colors are basicly yellowish brown, white, green and reddish-brown. Entrance (north side of the dome).
