A Well Kept Man

The sixteen granite columns were quarried in Egypt, and then transported the approximately 1,500 miles either on barge (while on the Nile) or wooden sledges (while on land). Each column is a single piece of granite 39 feet tall weighing about 60 tons (120,000 lbs...that's equivalent to 480,000 scoops of gelato), which I found amazing as most of the columns I have encountered are in sections stacked on top of each other like bricks. The diameter of each column is 5 feet, and for those in physics class or algebra, what is the circumference of these columns? (hint, the formula for circumference is 2 * pi * radius = circumference). Needless to say my arms weren't long enough to give the column a proper hug.

After walking through the giant doors your eyes are immediately drawn to the domed ceiling and the oculus (the sole source of light in the Pantheon...except for the under-cabinet lighting they added to extend the hours of operation). The oculus is 142 feet from the ground, which is also the same dimension of the dome's width. (Which I guess means you could inflate a giant beach ball inside the Pantheon and have it fill the top half perfectly.) The ceiling holds the record for the largest free-standing (unreinforced) dome in the world. It is poured concrete and the oculus is required to keep the dome standing (think of it like an arch where the keystone makes the structure stand up)...this is quite advanced for something built well before such modern marvels sliced bread and text messaging!

The Pantheon was originally built as a temple for the many gods of Ancient Rome, but in the early 600's it was turned over to the Roman Catholic church who threw out Zeus and his all of his Olympian buddies. It is also the final resting place for some of Italy's nobility, as well as the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael (of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fame...). The floor is pretty cool as well because it has a built in drainage system to deal with the water that comes through the oculus during precipitation events. As it was raining (sprinkling) one evening I made Alli go back (for the second time) to see it in action. Even though the floor was only moderately wet, the holes in the floor provide an escape path for the droplets of water which again amazed me as you would be surprised how many times engineers forget to do the simple things when designing.

While it is more impressive and mystical in the evening, don't feel bad if you go during the day. It is truly an impressive building that deserves a great deal of admiration...if you can't make it to Rome to see it in person, I encourage you to visit one of the Pantheon-inspired structures near you (such as the Jefferson Memorial or National Gallery of Art in Washington DC).