Pantheon, Rome

Pictures were taken on June 17, 2011

The Pantheon was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome,

and rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in about 126 AD.

The nearly-contemporary writer (2nd–3rd centuries AD), Cassius Dio,

speculated that the name comes either from the statues of so many gods placed around this building,

or else from the resemblance of the dome to the heavens.

Tomb of Victor Emanuel II

Although Italy has been a republic since 1946, volunteer members of Italian monarchist organisations maintain a vigil over the royal tombs in the Pantheon. This has aroused protests from time to time from republicans, but the Catholic authorities allow the practice to continue.