Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-06
THE PANTHEON AT ROME.
The Oldest Building in the yVorId-Firs
Pagan Then f,l,rtstinn


The Oldest Building in the WorId-First
Pagan Then Christian.
The Pantheon, called by Byron the
''pride Of Rome" and by Pliny zone of
the wonders of the world says a cores
pOndent of the Troy New York; Times, is
the oldest yet best preserved of all the
ancient buildings in Rome. In fact. Ills
the only building OF the ancient city not
now in ruins-the only building now
standing that Paul saw, as he entered the
city Of his martyrdOm. It stands in Cpl
aZZa della ROtOnda," part Of Rome SO
low that it is often overlooked with water
Should you visit it when the Tiber is full,
you Will be reminded of Venice, and will
have to enter the great doorway in boat
The Pantheon is vast rOtunda, its inte-
rIor consisting Of one immense circular
room l43 feet IN diameter and 143 feet in
height. This measurement does not in
clude the walls, which are twenty feet in
thickness. The exterior is rough, but the
whole building was once encased in mar
bic. Two awkward, impertinent, little
modern towers, or belfries, were added by
order Of Urban VIII. in 1925. They are
called, in derisiOn, after the name of the
architect, ''the ass ears of Bernini."
By an inscription upon the frieze of the
portico, we learn that the Pantheon was
built by Agrippa (sOn-in-law of Augustus
C8sar) tWenty-seVen years before the
birth of Christ, which makes it a century
older than the coliseum. Though it is
Weather-stained and defaced, though it
has been injured by CONGREGATIONS and
earthquakes, though it has been ravaged
by Goth and Vandal-still. there it stands
just as it stood 1900 years ago! The
builders and the very gods it honored have
passed away, but the building still re-
mains in its grandeur and glory. 1t is
thrilling to stand in that grand rOtunda
and remember it was built before the
angels sung the first Christmas song. and
has been in constant use in all the centu-
rles since. From the time of Augustus
20 that OF Constantine the Pantheon was
celebrated heather temple. Around the
wall Of the one great room are tiers of
large arched inches, in each one of which
cnce stood the statue of a god. In the
centre was colossal statue of Jupi-
ter. From the marble and golden affairs
beneath once arose the incense offered to
the chief pagan deities. AS its name in
GlcateS, 1t was dedicated to all the gods
In A. D. sos Pope Boniface ". cleansed
the Pantheon from its heather idols, trans
terring it from paganism to pOpery, "from
dove to Jesus dedIcatins it to the Virgin
Mary and the martyrs. Since then the
inches of gods have been transformed
INTO shrlnes Of saints, the smoke of hea-
then sacrifice superseded by clouds of in
cense from pOpish affairs, and the doubtful
responses from the oracular Tripod
have given way to masses and indul-
gences. In A. d. 500 Boniface ". brought
twenty-eight wagOn-lOads of the bones of
holy saints and martyrs from the cata-
combs and had them placed under the
high altar. Thus it is appropriately named
''the Church of Holy Mary and the Mar
tyrs.' The Italians call IT ''Church OF
Santa Maria ROtOnda." The common
people know it by no other name, and
they look surprised when you ask the way
to the Pantheon. Over the great doorway
is the following inscriptions 'Indulgences
-Plenary, Daily and Perpetual-for the
Living and the Dead"
As we pass in let US stop in the vesti-
bule and read the Latin inscription which
tells us that in 1928 Pope Urban VIII.
stripped the bronze from the ceiling of the
porticO and cast some of it into cannOns
for the castle of st Angelo, and used the
rest for the great BaldacchinO of st. Pc
ter's. 1t had already been robbed by the
Emperor C0nstans of the gilded bronze
tiles that covered the roof, and was after
ward plundered by Benedict XIV. of pre-
ciOus marble. Its imposing pOrticO, adj
mired for ages, is 10 feet long and A feet
deep. 1t has sixteen magnificent columns,
arranged in three rows, each one a single
shaft of granite five feet in diameter, and
of whites marble. On each side of the
ground doorway are large inches, once &C.
cupied by the colossal statues of Angus
tus and Agrippa.
We enter by the massive bronze doors
that once opened to admit Roman sena-
tors and emperOrs. Hither came the great
Caesars to pay their deYOtiOns to heather
divinities. Once inside we find a vast cir
cular room surm0unted by a mighty
dome, one OF the grandest on earth. 1t is
an exact hemisphere and covers the en-
tire building. Its symmetry, beauty and
grandeur were greatly admired by Michael
Angelo, and by millions before and since
his day. In the summit of the dome is a
large circular, uncovered opening twenty
eight feet in diameter, which admits all
the light the building has, and that is am
pie. No one who has ever seen the in
tense blue of the Italian sky through that
opening, with the white, feecy clouds
floating over it, can ever forget the charm
ing scene. And at night, when the great
stars keep watch, and the light of the
pale moon falls on the silent affairs, the
scene is one of weird, magical beauty.
Behind the third altar to the left is all
that is mortal of the immortal Raphael,
t'the divine Raphael" as he is called by
his cOuntrymeB, so maryelOuslY was he
gifted with the divine spark of genius.
This s'prince of painters" as well as re-
April 6, 1888, and died April G., 1920, aged
exactly 81 years. His birthday was the
day of his death. 1t is eminently fitting
that one whose fame is in all lands should
sleep beneath the matchless dome of the
wOrld-renOwned Pantheon. In 1888 his
tomb was opened, and over three hundred
years after death his remains were hon.
ored with a new sarcophagus. In 1888 the
quattrO-centennial of the birthday of the
eminent artist was observed in many
lands.
Directly opposite the great doorway of
the Pantheon, in his last sleep, lies the
first of Italy's modern kings, Victor
Emanuel, ''the father of his country"
He united a divided Italy, made Rome its
capital, and died in 1873, greatly hOnored
bv the whole nation. 1t was his own re-
quest that the Pantheon should be his
last resting place. On each anniversary
of his death the spot nearest his tomb is
decorated with garlands, floral crowns,
and funeral wreaths. When last in Rome
we saw scores of visiting cards left
(French fashion by those who had called
to pay their respects to their late king.
Last month (JanuarY, 1884, Victor
Emanuel was hOnOred with a new tomb
and monument. Eighty thousand liberty
loving Italian patriots came to their dedi-
cation and conservation. From the plains
of L0mbardy to the yine-clad hills of Sici-
", all Italy Joined in hOnorIng their late
sovereign. With thousand banners
waving and scores of bands playing fu-
neral marches, the enormous procession
gathered to the ancient temple and left
their garlands and crowns of flowers in
memory of their dead king. The Vatican
party called it proclamation, ana have done
their best to remove the remains from the
consecrated place. But Humbert l., the
present King of Italy, is determined that
his father shall lie in the grand old build
ing, and all Italy applauds the sons de-
.cIsiOn.
The Modern Duel.
PHILADELPHIA CdH.