The Pantheon, which has lasted many centuries and wars was made from bearing masonry. It was built in Rome, Italy between the dates 118 to 126 B.C. The actual architect that built the Pantheon is unknown but some believe it might have been Hadrian. Furthermore, this great building was also home to all gods and was used as a catholic church. Although all three authors bring out important points about the Pantheon, William L. MacDonald is the most authoritative source due to the fact that this author writes more into depth about all the aspects of the Pantheon. If you are looking for quick information about the Pantheon, read the articles by Riccardo Cigola and David Moore. But if you want correct and detailed interesting facts about how the Pantheon was constructed and the history of it, read the book by William L. MacDonald titled The Pantheon.
The first topic to consider is the entrance to the Pantheon. Riccardo Cigola states that in order to enter the Pantheon one must enter from the opposite side, which is found to be very confusing due to the fact that this author was not clear to tell which side to actually enter from. While David Moore mentions that the main entrance consists of double bronze doors 21 feet high, which were protected by a huge porch with sixteen granite columns supporting a gable style roof. Furthermore, this author also mentions that above the porch on the roof area is an inscribature of some sort. William L. MacDonald mentions in detail all the aspects of the entrance to the Pantheon. This author mentions that the first row of eight columns actually help support the triangle roof and the existing rows of columns, which aid to form an aisle to the south towards the rotunda. He even mentions that all of the columns have Corinthian capitals with white marble bases.
Furthermore, another interesting idea that only one author mentions is the actual foundation of which the Pantheon was built on top of. William L. MacDonald and Riccardo Cigola do not mention anything about the actual foundation but David Moore mentions that the foundation of the Pantheon was built on an unstable marshy area. Builders had a hard time with the concrete settling with out cracking and would have to wait for it to dry before moving onto the next rings and stages.
Another topic to bring up is about the actual walls of the Pantheon and how they were made. Riccardo Cigola mentions nothing about the actual construction of the massive supporting walls of the Pantheon. The other two authors do mentions different ideas and information about the walls. For example, David Moore talks very short about the walls and mentions that the walls were made of thick masonry that was used for the support of the massive dome. William L. MacDonald again talks in great detail about the walls and how they were formed. He explains that the walls of the rotunda are very thick at the bottom and get narrow as they go up creating the dome to push upwards, which is called an engineering term known as a compression system. (MacDonald pg. 33) He also mentions that the rotunda and dome are made completely of concrete.
Moving inside to the interior of the Pantheon brings up another topic for discussion. The interior of the Pantheon contains many great pieces of art including the chapels. Riccardo Cigola does not mention much about the interior of the rotunda but does bring up some of the chapels that do occupy the interior. He mentions that the first chapel on the right as you walk in is a fresco of Annunciation attributed to A. Romano. The second chapel is a tomb of Victor Emmanual II (1st king of Italy) and designed by Manfredo Manfredi. He also mentions about another chapel to the left, which is a tomb of Umberto (2nd king of Italy) and also containing a tomb of Margherita di Savoia (1st queen of Italy). He also mentions of a third chapel on the left which is of the 16th century crucifix and a monument of Consalci. He also mentions of a 7th century icon of the Virgin and Child. (Cigola) The only other author that mentions a great detail about the interior is William L. MacDonald who talks greatly about the colorful checkerboard flooring made from marble and porphyry. He also states that the walls once contain many great pieces of art, which was later stolen or destroyed by the great fires.
Another topic to compare these authors is about the actual dome of the Pantheon. Riccardo Cigola mentions that this dome is the largest masonry dome to ever be built. It contains five rows of coffers, which were probably decorated with gilded bronze rosettes. He also states that the dome has a center opening where light enters the interior. David Moore talks more in detail about the dome and mentions on the outside of the dome there is a series of seven step rings. Within the interior of the dome it contains five bands made of one hundred and forty coffers. William L. MacDonald again talks into great depths of the dome and mentions some interesting facts about the dome. First of all, he talks about how the dome was constructed by using thicker concrete bricks at the bottom and slowly thinning to form the upper half of the some. For the opening in the dome, he mentions that they used a very thin layer of concrete so it would not collapse. He mentions that the opening circle of the dome let in light and showed order, peace, harmony and unity. It was a way of interacting people to the cosmos. Within the dome, the light would shift itself around the rotunda showing different areas. The circle opening would also allow the rain to come in and drain off the floor which was slightly pushed upwards.
In conclusion, the Pantheon, which is home to all gods has only one source of light, which was let in threw the opening at the top of the dome. When the beam of light entered the interior of the Pantheon, it would light up only certain areas of the walls and the marble floor. As long as the light keeps shinning through the opening in the dome, the Pantheon will show its great strength of construction and last many more years to come.
Bibliography:
Cigola, Riccardo. Pantheon E44a. 1999-2004 http://www.italycyberguide.com/Geography/cities/rome2000/E44a.htm
MacDonald, William L. _ The Pantheon _. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1976.
Moore, David. The Pantheon. P.E. 1995 http://www.romanconcrete.com/chapt01.htm
