Pantheon
The Pantheon is one of Rome’s most recognisable and visited tourist attractions. Well preserved it affords visitors the chance to see first hand the wonders of Roman ingenuity. The building is cylindrical with large granite Corinthian columns. A vestibule links the porch to the rotunda, which is under a concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus) to the sky. The Pantheon’s dome is an incredible feet of engineering and remains the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome. Internally the beauty of the building continues with row upon row of arches and columns.
The Pantheon's design directly inspired the great domes of the Renaissance, such as Brunelleschi's Duomo in Florence and Michelangelo's St. Peter's Basilica, and its principles can be traced through Neoclassical and modern buildings worldwide, establishing the Pantheon as an eternal benchmark for grandeur, structural innovation, and spatial harmony.
Our cutaway model perfectly highlights the intricate design and staggering workmanship that went into this magnificent building.
The building is known by several other names:
- Santa Maria ad Martyres (Saint Mary and the Martyrs) - This is the official Christian name of the church. After the Pantheon was consecrated as a Christian church in 609 AD by Pope Boniface IV, it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and all the Christian martyrs. This act is what saved the building from the ruin that befell many other ancient Roman structures. In everyday Italian, it's often simply called "Santa Maria della Rotonda" (St. Mary of the Rotunda).
- Santa Maria Rotonda - This is a very common name used by locals and on many modern maps. It directly references the building's most famous feature—its massive rotunda (cylindrical structure). The square in front of the Pantheon is also called Piazza della Rotonda.
- La Rotonda (The Rotunda) - This is an informal, descriptive name, focusing purely on the building's iconic circular shape.