The Pantheon and Its Effect on Religions
Introduction What religious role has the Pantheon played in Roman History? Well, the Pantheon has played a religious role of a temple to worship gods and it has always been a type of propaganda for Roman Religions, such as Ancient Roman Religion and to Catholicism. The word pantheon comes from the Latin word pántheios which means of all gods (pan- PAN- + the(ós) god + -ios adj. Suffix). The Pantheon, had four different religious stages, first there was an "Ancient" stage, which was when the Pantheon was there to worship gods and goddesses of the Ancient Roman Religion; then there was a "Medieval" stage, which was when it became a Christian Church; also, it became a tomb, for those painters who painted pictures in the ceilings and walls of the Pantheon, through the "Renaissance" stage; and finally, there is a "Modern" stage which is represented "today", the Pantheon is used to bury those kings and queens of passed years and it is still used celebrate masses and weddings. At one point, Peter Conolly and Dodge Hazel state, "
the Pantheon is the best-preserved of all Roman buildings. It has been in continuous use throughout its history and it has represented religion in all times" (The Ancient City: Life in Classical Athens & Rome, 228). This makes reference to all those stages, the Pantheon went through and how the Pantheon has gone through them well-preserved, becoming one of the greatest images of Christianity in the world. According to historians Janson, H. W. and Anthony F. Janson in their book, History of Art, "As its name suggests, the Pantheon was dedicated to "all the gods" or, more precisely to seven planetary gods
" and "
and then became a great Christian building to worship just one god" (224). This also refers to, the way the Pantheon has changed its roots, as it started as a seven god building and finished as a one god building (Jesus Christ).
Ancient Stage According to Samuel Ball Platner and Ashby Thomas in their book, The Topological Dictionary
Bibliography: -Conolly, Peter, and Hazel Dodge. The Ancient City: Life in Classical Athens & Rome/Peter Conolly, Haze Dodge. Oxford [England]; New York: Oxford UP, 1998.
-Crystal, Ellie. "The Pantheon - Rome 's Masterpiece." The Cultural Traveler. 8 Sept. 2006. Crystalinks. 20 Apr. 2007 .
-Janson, H. W., and Anthony F. Janson. History of Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1991.
-Platner, Samuel Ball, and Thomas Ashby. A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. London: Oxford UP, 1929. http://penelope.uchicago.edu/. 13 Apr. 2007 .
-University of Bern. "Pantheon in Rome." Karman Center for Advanced Studies in the Humanities. 8 July 2006. Philosophisch-historische Fakultät. 17 Apr. 2007 .