The first time I was exposed to the word was from an news story. From the context, I guessed its meaning - a group of particularly respected, famous, or important people. I did not look it up in dictionary, and only this meaning of the word stayed with me for many years.
Originally a "pantheon" refers to the collective gods of a people or a temple dedicated to them, most famously the ancient Roman building, the Pantheon, originally a temple to all gods.
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| Pantheon, Rome, November 29th, 2025 |
We visited Pantheon, Rome during our November 2025 European trip. I learnt a lot more about it.
Patheon as a temple, stands out among all ancient temples. It is the best preserved ancient buildings in Rome, and arguably the best-preserved ancient temple in the world. It has been in continuous use through its over 1700 year history.
The Pantheon dome is also an engineering master piece - The Pantheon is the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. Many design features made this possible - Oculus (circular opening) at Apex of the dome, and sunken panels (coffers), in five rings of 28. They help to reduce the weight of the dome and serve other functions as well.
The oculus at the dome's apex and the entry door are the only natural sources of light in the interior. Throughout the day, light from the oculus moves around this space in a reverse sundial effect: marking time with light rather than shadow. The oculus also offers cooling and ventilation to the inside.
Religiously they symbolize the arched vault of the heavens.
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| The Oculus and Sunken Panels of the Dome |
However the Oculus also allows rains to fall into the temple. A clever design of the floor of the temple make the floor serves as a drainage system without obvious drainage channels or drainage ports. The Pantheon's floor has a subtle convex slope, rising towards the center, with 22 discreet drainage holes (two under the oculus, others near the perimeter) that channel rainwater into an ancient, still-functioning underground Roman sewer system, preventing flooding and preserving the building's foundation.
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| two drainage holes under the oculus, others near the perimeter |
Of course the Temple's main purpose is religious, and since AD 609, a Catholic church called the Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs. We saw all the typical figures of a Christian church, Jesus on a cross, Virgin Mary and the child, ...
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| Madonna del Sasso - Virgin Mary Holding Infant Jesus |
We lingered inside the Patheon for over 1 hour and I was amazed by its engineering wonder more than the religious significance.
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| The fountain of the Patheon |
