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The Pantheon is the best preserved and one of the most impressive of all Roman buildings. It was constructed in AD 118 - 128 during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. The Pantheon was a temple to all the Olympic Gods, and the word pantheon is Greek for of all the gods. The Pantheon today is a remake of the original one, which was built by M. Vispanius Agrippa in 27 BC. A fire probably destroyed it.
In AD 609, Pope Boniface VIII received the temple as a gift from the emperor of Byzantium. He converted it into a Christian church dedicated to Madonna and the martyrs. This is the reason for which it still stands today, avoiding destruction. The Pantheon is an immense round temple covered by a single dome, fronted by a transitional block and a traditional portico of eight Corinthian columns. The diameter of the hemispherical dome and cylinder is 43. 2 metres. If the dome were a full sphere, the curve of the inner surface would just touch the floor; thus, a perfect sphere is contained, a symbolic reference to the temples dedication to all gods (pan (all) plus theo's (god) = in the sphere of the heavens).
Therefore, the dome has a radius of 26. 6 metres and the cylinder has a height of 26. 6 metres. The drum and dome are made of solid monolithic concrete, reinforced with bands of vitrified tile. The wall of the drum is 6. 1 metres thick, and is hollowed out by a series of alternately rectangular curve niches or recesses. The only window in the building is a central oculus, 9. 1 metres in diameter. Because the oculus is open to the sky, the floor is slightly concave with a drain at the center.
The huge bronze doors (7 metres high) are the largest Roman doors to survive in place and remain in use. The portico is 33. 5 metres in length and 18 metres deep. Bibliography:
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Research essay sample on 26 6 Metres 26 6 Pantheon
