Pantheon

The Pantheon we see today was built by the emperor Hadrian in about 126 AD and was a temple to all the gods of ancient Rome. It was built on the site of the earlier Pantheon which was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus but had been destroyed by fire.

It is one of the best-preserved of all Roman buildings and has been in continuous use throughout its history, and since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Roman Catholic church dedicated to "St. Mary and the Martyrs" but informally known as "Santa Maria Rotonda."