PANTHEON, Pantheon

Hi, I'm James, your personal guide. Together with MyWoWo, I'd like to welcome you to one of the wonders of the world.

Today I'll accompany you through the Pantheon, which is one of the most majestic places in Rome!

As you walk around the Pantheon, or the "temple of all gods", let me tell you some of the history of this ancient monument that's also the best preserved of the entire Eternal City.

The original building was constructed in 27 BC by the son-in-law of Augustus, the first emperor of Rome; it was a small, rectangular temple that was destroyed by a fire about a century later. It was rebuilt and again damaged by lightning, after which Emperor Hadrian had it rebuilt from scratch. The architect used the materials of the old temple and placed the pre-existing sixteen Egyptian granite columns in two rows to create the portico in front of the façade, on which he left the inscription bearing the name of the first founder, Agrippa....