Pantheon in Rome - a monument of ancient culture

Since ancient times, Rome is the center of Christianity, it was here that the Pope's abode was and is still here. The Italian capital has an ancient and very interesting history, to uncover the secrets of which and to recreate the paintings of the past days help the preserved sights. Among the most interesting of them are the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. Each of them will tell their stories, and from them one can already make a general picture of the life of Rome, from Antiquity to our days.

The Pantheon in Rome is an architectural monument that has survived to this day since antiquity. It was built by the order of Mark Agrippa, the Roman consul, in 27 - 25 years. BC. Moreover, the consul for the construction of the Pantheon granted its own funds. "Temple of all the gods" - this is how the name Pantheon is translated from the ancient Greek language. Rome in those days was the refuge of the Gentiles. The ancient Romans worshiped the seven basic gods who lived by their representation in heaven. It was in honor of these gods that a temple was erected, inside of which niches with their statues were built.

The Pantheon in Rome in its original form did not last long, already in 80 AD. It was destroyed by a fire. The structure was restored only in 118 - 125 years. In ancient times, the ancient Romans venerated the Roman gods, feared their anger, so they coaxed in various ways. The elevation of statues, temples, sacrifices at that time was a common thing. Therefore, the Pantheon was originally used as a pagan temple. In the middle stood an altar on which animals were killed and burned on holidays.

In the middle of the IV century, a wave of Christianity covered and Rome. The Pantheon at that time was abandoned, and at the beginning of the 7th century was presented to Pope Boniface IV by the Byzantine emperor. Then the temple was consecrated and converted into a Catholic church, called the church of the Mother of God and all the martyrs. In the 14th - 16th centuries, the Pantheon had to be reincarnated into a fortification structure.

The Pantheon in Rome received special recognition during the Renaissance. Many artists and architects admired his architectural design. Restoration of the Pantheon was handled by Raphael himself, this great structure and became his last refuge, in 1520 the masters were buried here. After that, the temple acquired the status of a mausoleum and burial vault, many famous figures of politics and culture were buried there. Here lie the first two kings of United Italy, the artist Annibal Carracci, the composer Arkangelo Corelli, the architect Baldassar Peruzzi and many others.

Already at the beginning of the XVII century the Pantheon in Rome again fell out of favor with the Pope and was ruined. Some of its parts were dismantled, which caused a wave of protest among the Italians. To date, most of the interior is preserved, although this monument of architecture of the period of Antiquity and survived many changes and destruction. The building can accommodate up to two thousand people and has the perfect acoustics. This is almost the only monument of the times of Antiquity, preserved to this day in a remarkable form.