Pantheon

Pantheon, a name applied to several important temples dedicated to the purposes of religious worship, as the Pantheon at Rome and the Pantheon in Paris. The Pantheon at Rome was built by Agrippa, son-in-law of the Emperor Augustus, about 27 B. c., and was dedicated to the god Mars in memory of the victory obtained by Augustus over Antony and Cleopatra. Emperor Phocas gave it to Pope Boniface IV. in 609 A. D., who dedicated it to the Holy Virgin and the holy martyrs, and Gregory IV. dedicated it to all the saints in 830. This structure has a circular form, is 188 feet in diameter and 212 feet high, and has a dome extending 36 feet above the upper cornice. It is now known as the Church of Santa Maria Rotonda. Within its walls many famous men have been buried. The Pantheon in Paris dates from 1761. It is a beautiful structure and for some time has been known as the Church of Saint Genevieve. In it are buried many men of eminence, among them Voltaire, Lagrange, Lannes, and Rousseau.