Here is a list of facts about the Pantheon. Many people visit the ancient building but few know that much about it, other than it being ancient. Here is a quick guide on some of the most important facts about the Pantheon.

1. First built in 27 BC (and later rebuilt around 125 AD by the emperor Hadrian), the Pantheon in Rome is one of its oldest and best preserved buildings from antiquity. Besides the years between 80 AD (when it burned down) and 125 AD (when it was reconstructed), the Pantheon has been in use since it was first built.
2. The height from the floor to the oculus and the diameter of the dome are the same: 43.2 meters (141 feet. 8 inches).
3. Despite being an architectural marvel, the exact architect of the Pantheon is unknown.
4. The writing across the front of the Pantheon in Rome says in Latin
   “M.AGRIPPA.L.F.COSTERTIUM.FECIT” which roughly translates to “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, having been consul three times, made it”. When the emperor Hadrian rebuilt the Pantheon he maintained this original inscription rather than adding his own name.
5. The Pantheon’s name literally means All (pan) Gods (theon).  It was a Roman temple dedicated to all Roman Gods.
6. The Pantheon was given to Pope Boniface VII in 608 AD by Byzantine emperor Phocas and has been used as a Catholic church ever since.
7. The Pantheon holds some pretty spectacular tombs, including the first two kings of Italy Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I as well as Queen Margherita (Umberto I’s wife and the very lady for whom the first Italian pizza was ever made) and Renaissance artist Raphael with his fiancée Maria Bibbiena.
8. The ceiling was previously covered in stunning bronze. The bronze was removed and melted down in the 17th century (most likely for fortification and cannons at Castel Sant’Angelo).
9. The hole in the enormous dome, called the oculus, was also open in antiquity. There are drains underneath to prevent rain water from flooding the interior. There is some speculation that the large candles used to light the interior may have evaporated a lot of rain before it hit the floor as well.
10. The Pantheon holds the record for the biggest non-reinforced dome in the history of architecture. Its immense weight is supported by a series of arches underneath.