- Why is the Pantheon famous?
- The Legend of the Devil and the Ditch around the Pantheon
- The Legend of the Demons of the Pantheon and The Oculus
- The Legend of the Eye in the Dome
Why is the Pantheon famous?
Rome’s Pantheon, the Temple of All the Gods, is a shining symbol of Roman ingenuity, a two-millennia-old architectural gem with a grand dome that continues to inspire admiration for its craftsmanship and durability.
The Legend of the Devil and the Ditch around the Pantheon
Around the Pantheon in Rome, there is a moat or ditch called “Agrippa’s Ditch” or “Hadrian’s Ditch”, which is surrounded by a marble platform and has caused interest and speculation.
One of the ditch’s possible purposes is to collect rainwater and prevent flooding around the Pantheon. Water collected in the moat could have been directed into the Roman sewer systems to prevent water from pooling around the temple. Another possible reason is that the ditch was used to collect rainwater for the use of nearby temples.
Legend has it that one day a man made a pact with the Devil. In exchange for a magic book, the man would have sold his soul to the Devil. But the man wanted to trick the Devil and after receiving the book, he took refuge in the Pantheon, which was a Christian church at the time. The devil could not enter a sacred place and ran angrily around the Pantheon, waiting for the man to come out. In his run, the Devil created the ditch around the Pantheon.
The Legend of the Demons of the Pantheon and The Oculus
As the Pantheon is linked to the ancient Roman civilization which, in the centuries following the fall of the Empire, was a concrete symbol of the Evil in the land, the building, during the Middle Ages had a very bad reputation. Demons were believed to live in it! A monument to evil, an evil that needs to be removed, some people want it torn down.
Pope Boniface IV, who had the honor of receiving the building as a gift from Emperor Phocas, understood the importance of the construction and performed an exorcism ritual before opening the Pantheon’s bronze doors for the first time. It is said that at the moment the doors were opened the demons came out, fleeing and freeing the monument forever.
But, according to legend, a very large demon was locked inside and could not get out the door. How did he get out? It simply flew through the dome, leaving behind a perfectly circular hole (oculus) that still captivates millions of people today!
The Legend of the Eye in the Dome
According to a strange but popular legend, it seems that when it rains, the water drops cannot reach the ground, because of the internal temperature of the Pantheon which would evaporate before they hit the ground. This legend remains only a legend because it is easy to see that when it rains the floor gets wet. The ancient Romans found a solution to prevent the Pantheon from being flooded every time it rains harder. On the floor, just below the eye, there are small holes. They serve to drain the water under the floor from where the water drains through some underground tunnels. The floor is even slightly concave, to allow water to flow better into the underground galleries. In this way, the water drains quickly and never accumulates on the floor of the Pantheon.
Pantheon, Rome: Temple of All the Gods
Rome’s Pantheon, the Temple of All the Gods, is a shining symbol of Roman ingenuity, a two-millennia-old architectural gem with a grand dome that continues to inspire admiration for its craftsmanship and durability.
