There are many reasons given for the hole or oculus in the pantheon you can take your pick of an architectural device a means to let in light and air a sundial or an opening to allow the sun.
Pantheon hole in the roof.
Holes can still be seen on the pediment of the façade where pagan bronze adornments have been stripped.
From above the pantheon s 19 foot oculus the hole at the top of the dome is an obvious opening to the elements.
And he took away from there the bronze tiles and sent them with all the other ornaments to constantinople.
The most frequently asked question about the pantheon continues to be if it rains inside through the hole in the roof.
5 inside the pantheon are the tombs of the first two kings of italy vittorio emanuele ii and his son umberto i.
Pantheon rome wikipedia a lot of the reason was actually to reduce the weight of and the stress on the dome.
The pantheon is the best preserved ancient roman monument 4 the most fascinating part of the pantheon is its giant dome with its famous hole in the top the eye of the pantheon or oculus.
The stresses in the dome were found t.
When it rains does water enter the hole in the roof of the pantheon.
It allows sunlight into the temple room below it but also allows rain to the interior which is why the marble floor below curves outward to drain the water.
The answer is as surprising as trivial.
They did everything they could to reduce the weight of the dome as they went higher in the dome.
The name comes from greek the word pantheon is is derived from the ancient greek words pan all and theos god.
The dome was the largest in the world for 1300 years and until today it remains the largest unsupported dome in the world.