Pantheon
DEFINITION
All the gods of a people, or a temple dedicated to all such gods. A particular building is called the "Pantheon" in Rome, although it's actually not certain that this was its ancient function.(pr. PAN-thee-on)Images of the Pantheon (the second sense):The Pantheon, Rome, 118 CE. The building consists of a great circular hall (roofed by a hemispherical vault), which is entered by first passing through the pronaos. All sixteen columns of the pronaos are monoliths of Egyptian granite. The pediment was decorated with reliefs in gilt bronze as were the internal trabeations of the pronaos. In 609 CE the pagan gods were banished in a ceremony converting the Pantheon to a Christian church ? Chiesi di Santa Maria ad Martyres (the Church of Saint Mary and the Martyrs) ? and creating All Saints' Day, with the following day becoming All Souls' Day ? also known as Halloween. As the burial place of royalty and many great artists ? including the Renaissance master Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio, 1483-1520) ? the Pantheon is a national monument and a miracle of architecture. See portico.Interior view of the Pantheon. At the top of the Pantheon's coffered dome is its oculus. In this photo, sunlight projects through this open hole to the sky. There has never been any glass or other cover for this opening. Anticipating the rains, the Romans placed twenty-two small drains in the floor, which continue to function well today.Heneage Finch, Fourth Earl of Aylesford (English, 1751-1812), Interior of the Pantheon, Rome, pen and ink and watercolor on paper, 26.4 x 18.3 cm, Tate Gallery, London.English, from the encyclopedia, 1897: Four views of the Pantheon: front elevation, flank elevation, cross-section, and floor plan, late 19th century, engraving. See cross-section, elevation, and plan.Also see architecture and Roman art.<br><br>All the gods of a people, or a temple dedicated to all such gods. A particular building is called the "Pantheon" in Rome, although it's actually not certain that this was its ancient function.(pr. PAN-thee-on)