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PANTHEON
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Pantheon is one of the greatest, the most majestic and best preserved monuments in ancient Rome. The present building of 80 A. D., wanted by Adrian, stands up on the ruins of the previous temple, built by Agrippa in 27 B. C.; the inscription on the tympanum, original from the old temple, made the researchers think for a long time that the Pantheon (as we can see it now) had been built by Agrippa himself.
In 609, Pope Bonifacio IV turned the pagan temple into a Christian church. The high level of preservation is just due to this transformation.
The sight from Rotunda Square propose us the view of the portico, and of the already mentioned inscription. When you enter, you discover the reason why this monument is famous in the world, as an absolute example of architectural and building skill: the immense dome, symbol of the vault of heaven. On the top you can admire the opening penetrated by the pencil of light that constitutes the only luminous source of the Temple, symbol of the eternal light that enlightens the man, and of time passing by. In fact the sensation you can feel by visiting the building in the different hours of the day is strictly depending on the position of the sun, and so on the position of the ray of light inside the building; 43 mt. high, it is comparable to San Peter's dome, but it was built more than a thousand years before.
Remarkably important are the graves of famous personages of history and arts that are located within it, among which there is Raphael's grave.
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