The original Pantheon was built in 31 BCE by Marcus Agrippa, after the Battle of Actium. In 126 CE, it was restored to its current form by the Emperor Hadrian.
Originally, the Pantheon was used to commemorate the Roman gods and goddesses, but it was converted into a church by Pope Boniface IV in 609. Both the name and style of the building have inspired similar churches in Europe, most notably a second Panthéon in Paris, France.
The extravagant Pantheon can be entered through the pronaos, which is the rectangular area located at the front of the temple. This is recognizable part of the structure surrounded by numerous towering granite columns, each 13 metres (43 ft) in height. This entrance is covered by a tympanum, a semi-circular surface placed over the entry. This element is bordered by a lintel and arch. The building itself is perched upon a series of broad white steps, elevating the building.
Upon entry, visitors are greeted by an enormous rounded room covered by the dome. Off to either side, the building is divided into two parts or naves, excluding the center part of the temple. The oculus at the top of the dome was never covered, allowing rainfall through the ceiling and onto the floor. Because of this, the interior floor is equipped with drains and has been built with an incline of about 30 centimetres (12 in) to promote water run off. There are three floors in the Pantheon; the second is made up of lessens that allow sunlight to filter through to the first floor, assisted by the light flowing in through the oculus.
The present high altars and the apses were commissioned by Pope Clement XI (1700–1721) and designed by Alessandro Specchi. Enshrined on the apse above the high altar is a 7th-century Byzantine icon of the Virgin and Child, given by Phocas to Pope Boniface IV on the occasion of the dedication of the Pantheon for Christian worship on 13 May 609. The choir was added in 1840, and was designed by Luigi Poletti.
In the second chapel is the tomb of King Victor Emmanuel II (died 1878). It was originally dedicated to the Holy Spirit. A competition was held to decide which architect should design it. Giuseppe Sacconi participated, but lost – he would later design the tomb of Umberto I in the opposite chapel. Manfredo Manfredi won the competition, and started work in 1885. The tomb consists of a large bronze plaque surmounted by a Roman eagle and the arms of the house of Savoy. The golden lamp above the tomb burns in honor of Victor Emmanuel III, who died in exile in 1947.
The third niche holds the mortal remains – his Ossa et cineres, "Bones and ashes", as the inscription on the sarcophagus says – of the great artist Raphael. His fiancée, Maria Bibbiena is buried to the right of his sarcophagus; she died before they could marry.
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