PANTHEON, Piazza Della Rotonda - Ai Voice

The square in front of the Pantheon is called Piazza della Rotonda. This name has been used since the Middle Ages, when the Pantheon was commonly referred to as “Santa Maria della Rotonda.”

In ancient times, this area was part of the Campus Martius, a district dedicated to public buildings and imperial monuments. The square’s current layout mostly dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries, when Pope Gregory XIII and other popes promoted renovations to give the space in front of the Pantheon a more dignified appearance.

At the center of the square stands a Renaissance fountain, designed in 1575 by Giacomo Della Porta and sculpted by Leonardo Sormani under Pope Gregory XIII. The fountain has an octagonal base, is surrounded by steps, and originally served as both a decorative feature and a source of water for local residents.

In 1711, Pope Clement XI commissioned the architect Filippo Barigioni to modify the fountain and place an Egyptian obelisk on top of it.

This obelisk, known as the Obelisco Macuteo, comes from the Temple of the god Ra in Heliopolis, Egypt. It is about six meters tall—nearly fourteen meters including its base—and made of red granite. By the way, did you know that the word “obelisk” comes from Greek and means “skewer” because of its tall, pointed shape? This ancient object was reused during the Roman Empire and finally placed here in the 18th century....