Section drawing of the Pantheon in Rome, Italy. "Known for its dome structure, the Pantheon is one of the greatest examples of Roman architecture. Even though Hadrian is attributed with the commission of the building, the actual architect remains unknown. The design of the temple follows traditional Roman style. The entrance to the Pantheon was designed with a portico held up by eight columns across holding up the pediment, which holds the inscription to Agrippa,"--from Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, website.
Transverse section of the dome of the Pantheon in Rome, Italy. "Known for its dome structure, the Pantheon is one of the greatest examples of Roman architecture. Even though Hadrian is attributed with the commission of the building, the actual architect remains unknown. The design of the temple follows traditional Roman style. The entrance to the Pantheon was designed with a portico held up by eight columns across holding up the pediment, which holds the inscription to Agrippa,"--Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst website.
Detail view of column, Corinthian capital, entablature and coffers in ceiling at the Pantheon in Rome, Italy. "... inside which was embellished with colored marble and bronze moldings. The floor is inlaid with colored granite and marble in the form of squares and circles. The inside of the dome is based on simple geometry. The dome is circular in height and width. The diameter and height of the rotunda are the same, 142 feet. The walls of the dome have a honeycombed effect known as coffering. The use of coffering allowed for the dome to appear larger than it was,"--Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst website.
Interior view of the Pantheon with niches, coffered ceiling and granite and marble floor. "... inside which was embellished with colored marble and bronze moldings. The floor is inlaid with colored granite and marble in the form of squares and circles. The inside of the dome is based on simple geometry. The dome is circular in height and width. The diameter and height of the rotunda are the same, 142 feet. The walls of the dome have a honeycombed effect known as coffering. The use of coffering allowed for the dome to appear larger than it was,"--Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst website.
Painting of the interior of the Pantheon in Rome Italy. Trained in architecture and theatrical design, Panini manipulated the perspective to show a larger view of the interior than is actually possible from any single place. The viewpoint is deep within the building, facing the entrance. The portals open to the colossal columns of the porch and a glimpse of the obelisk in the piazza before the church. Through the oculus in the center of the dome, Panini revealed the bright blue sky flecked with clouds,"--National Gallery of Art website.
View looking up at the domed ceiling of the Pantheon in Rome, with light shining through the oculus at the top. "The dome seems to rest on the cornice. The columns in the first register do not the support the dome. It is concrete structure. The coffers in the dome are in perspective, diminishing in size as they rise,"--by Mary Ann Sullivan, Bluffton University.
View of a beam of light shining down from the oculus at the Pantheon in Rome, with the entrance doors in background. "The curving wall is divided into two registers of unequal height by a cornice which circles the interior. Both the apse and entrance break into the second zone. The entrance and the apse are two of eight symmetrically arranged niches,"--by Mary Ann Sullivan, Bluffton University.
Bugbee original drawing of the dome and oculus at the Pantheon in Rome, Italy. "The dome is constructed of stepped rings of solid concrete with less and less density as lighter aggregate (pumice) is used, diminishing in thickness to about 1.2 m (4 feet) at the edge of the oculus. The dome rests on a cylinder of masonry walls 6 m (20 feet). Hidden voids and the interior recesses hollow out this construction, so that it works less as a solid mass and more like three continuous arcades which correspond to the three tiers of relieving arches visible on the building exterior. Originally, these exterior walls were faced with colored marbles,"--The Architecture Week, Great Buildings website.
Section drawing of the Pantheon in Rome, Italy. Gordon Bugbee Collection. "The Pantheon is one of the great spiritual buildings of the world. It was built as a Roman temple and later consecrated as a Catholic Church. Its monumental porch originally faced a rectangular colonnaded temple courtyard and now enfronts the smaller Piazza della Rotonda. Through great bronze doors, one enters one great circular room. The interior volume is a cylinder above which rises the hemispherical dome. Opposite the door is a recessed semicircular apse, and on each side are three additional recesses, alternately rectangular and semicircular, separated from the space under the dome by paired monolithic columns. The only natural light enters through an unglazed oculus at the center of the dome and through the bronze doors to the portico. As the sun moves, striking patterns of light illuminate the walls and floors of porphyry, granite and yellow marbles,"--by J.Y. The Architecture Week Great Buildings website.