PANTHEON, a building for the worship of all the gods revered in a certain locality ; hence a building where many famous men are buried, or a structure built to commemorate a number of national heroes. The most famous example of this usage is that of the pantheon at Regensburg, sometimes known as the Valhalla, erected by Ludwig I. of Bavaria, in memory of German heroes.
More specifically, pantheon is the name of two famous build ings, one in Rome and one in Paris. The Roman pantheon was begun by Agrippa in 27 B.C., probably as a rectangular building of ordinary temple type. It was completely rebuilt by Hadrian, in its present circular form (1 io-125), the columns of the present front porch being probably those of the earlier building. Under Septimus Severus repairs and alterations were made ; it is likely that at this time the rectangular coffers were cut on the inside face of the dome. The Roman pantheon is remarkable, not only for its size, the dome being 144 ft. in diameter, and for its elaborate brick construction, but also for its perfect preservation and the fact that for almost 2,000 years it has served continuously as a place of worship, having been dedicated in A.D. 6o9 as the
church of S. Maria Rotunda. The gilt bronze tiles that once covered the dome were stripped off and carried to Constantinople at an early date, and in the 17th century the bronze trusses and girders which carried the portico roof were melted and used to make Bernini's baldachino in S. Peter's at Rome. The present stucco panels and pilasters that circle the interior above the order cornice and below the spring of the dome are of late Renaissance date, and the bronze rosettes and mouldings that once decorated the coffers have disappeared. Otherwise, the interior of the build ing exists in its exquisite original form.
The pantheon at Paris was begun in 1764 by Soufflot as the church of S. Genevieve. This was secularized under the Revolu tion and then received its present name—pantheon. It served as a church, also, from 1828-30 and from 1851-7o. The pantheon at Paris bears little resemblance to the Roman example. It is a cruciform building with a high triple dome over the crossing and the four arms vaulted with lower saucer domes on pendentives.