THE PANTHEON

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THE PANTHEON
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THE HISTORY OF THE PANTHEON

• The original Pantheon was
  built by Agrippa in 27 BC but
  burnt to the ground in 80 AD.
• It was then restored by Domitian
  only to burn down again in Trajans reign.
• Between 118-28 AD Hadrian completely
  rebuilt the Pantheon from
  the foundations up.

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Hadrian 117-38 AD
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OK THEN WHAT WAS THE PANTHEON ?

• it may have been a temple that was dedicated to
  many, or all, of the gods.
• OR the seven interior niches were occupied by
  statues of the planetary gods Jupiter, Saturn,
  Mercury, Venus, Mars, the Sun and the Moon.
• OR EVEN the dome may have symbolised the heavens
  and thus had religious significance.

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BUILDING MATERIAL

• the Roman invention of cement made the building
  of the Pantheon possible.
• foundations are made of cement with a hard
  limestone (called travertine) fill.
• the rotunda walls became lighter the higher up
  you went
• brick-faced concrete with travertine and tufa
  fill for the first level,
• tufa and brick fill below the second exterior
  cornice,
• brick fill for the third level.
• a wooden framework and scaffolding was used to
  support the vault during construction. It was
  removed once the concrete had set.

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THE PANTHEON CAN BE BROKEN DOWN INTO THREE
DISTINCT PARTS

1. ENTRANCE PORCH
2. VESTIBULE
3. ROTUNDA

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THE ENTRANCE PORCH

• the porch retains the traditional deep columned
  approach of Roman temples.
• as the temple was
  approached from
  the front the
  wide
  porch helped to
  obscure the
  large
  rotunda and make
  the front look
  like
  a normal temple.
• the porch is more deeper than it is high (13m
  12m) and is 33.5m wide.

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• the front row had eight
  granite
  columns with
  marble
  Corinthian capitals.
• behind are two more rows
  
  of four columns. This
  
  creates three aisles with only
  
  one leading to the central
  
  doorway.
• the other aisles lead to
  large
  niches which held
  
  statues of Augustus and
  Agrippa.
• the central doors are bronze.
• the pediment of the porch
  possibly
  contained an eagle.

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THE VESTIBULE

• the vestibule solved the problem of how to join
  the porch to the rotunda.
• it was structurally
  important because
  
  it acted as a buttress
  (support) for the
  
  rotunda.
• the back of the rotunda was buttressed by a wall
  of the nearby Basilica of Neptune.

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THE ROTUNDA - Exterior

• focal point of the design.
• 44m high and about 56m wide.
• very deep foundations 4.5m deep
  and about 7m thick.
• the rotunda walls are 6m thick and help support
  the dome.
• originally the exterior walls were stuccoed but
  now the walls are brick-faced concrete.
• there are windows above the second cornice let
  light into a passage way within the wall at this
  level.

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THE CORNICES

• The exterior wall rises in three levels, each
  marked by a projecting cornice
• 8.5m for the third,
• 9m for the second,
• 13m for the first.

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• These cornices all correspond to certain levels
• within the interior of the rotunda
• FIRST CORNICE is aligned with the architrave over
  the ground-floor columns.
• SECOND CORNICE is on a level with the rows of
  panels and niches where the dome appears to
  begin.
• THE THIRD
  CORNICE
  
  corresponds to
  
  the second
  
  level of coffers
  
  in the ceiling
  
  and is the true
  point
  where
  the dome starts.

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THE DOME

• this was not the first dome built by the Romans
  but its size was unique.
• it is a rotated arch and therefore requires no
  keystone as it is self-supporting.
• faced with bricks over a concrete core and
  covered with concrete and crushed brick making it
  impermeable.
• finally it was covered in bronze tiles (lead roof
  is a restoration).
• appears to start above the second interior
  cornice but actually starts at the third exterior
  cornice.

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THE INTERIOR

• PARTS OF THE INTERIOR
• the entrance,
• seven alcoves (alternately semi-circular and
  trapezoidal),
• Corinthian columns cut into the encircling wall,
  
• eight projecting pedimented niches, which also
  cut (These cuts into the wall also helped to
  lighten the weight of the walls) slightly into
  the wall.
• small semi-circular voids within the wall were
  left behind the eight niches (to help with drying
  the mass of concrete used in the wall?). It also
  helps to reduce the weight .

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• A large number of relieving arches were necessary
  to support and spread the weight.
• The interior columns and pilasters support no
  real weight.
• The second level of the interior consists of a
  row of rectangular niches and panels of marble.

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THE OCULUS
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THE CEILING

• as the dome rose it became lighter and thinner
  (6m to 1m at top) to take weight off the roof.
• the ceiling is coffered with five rows of
  recessed coffers which also decrease in size as
  it approaches the oculus.
• the coffers are essentially decorative but have
  the added feature of catching the light that
  comes in through the oculus.
• the oculus was 9m in diameter and helps lighten
  the weight of the dome.

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THE FLOOR

• there was a geometric decoration on the floor
  with its coloured marble circles and squares.
• rain that came in
  through the
  oculus
  was drained off
  
  via small holes in
  the centre of the
  
  marble floor.

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• Impressive visual impact of the
• interior of the Pantheon
• unimpeded view of spectator up to the ceiling and
  out to the sky.
• subtle movement in the encircling wall with its
  screened niches.
• wealth of marble veneering on the floor and wall.

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AND NOW FOR SOME PICTURES
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THE PANTHEON