The Pantheon was my second favorite site next to the Colosseum and Palatine Hill. It is a magnificent structure with great architectural prowess.
The Pantheon was rebuilt twice in it’s history, each time having a different shape. Earlier buildings didn’t last very long. The first one burned down as did the second, which was struck by lightning. In AD 118 it was commissioned to be rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian and this time it lasted a while.
The massive weight of the dome posed a problem for the Romans during construction and the only way around this was to reduce the weight. It gradually decreases in thickness towards the top and used lighter materials than the original heavy concrete. The large opening in the top of the dome is called the oculus, and was left open to let natural light in and at a time this was the only light source. During my visit here, rain fell freely through the opening into the center of the Pantheon.
The columns in front of the Pantheon weigh in at a whopping 60 tons each and were quarried in Egypt and shipped in.
And another interesting fact, the diameter equals the height of the Pantheon, 43.3 Meters.
The above picture was taken by myself, stitching together three vertical pictures. Notice the top is more in focus than the bottom 
Did you like this picture of the week? Should I keep doing more like these every week?
I've heard of the Pantheon of course, but never knew it was so beautiful! Thanks for sharing the picture! 100% yes to pictures of the week : )
Thank you for your kindness Ashlea : ) The Pantheon was truly an amazing site to behold, next to the Colosseum of course!
Great image! Glad to see you're getting to see the historical stuff. Thanks!
Thank you Scott. It could have been better had I had my nice DSLR along, but alas, this will have to do!
must have been awesome to sit in that centuries old structure
Yes it was greg!