Pantheon

The Pantheon stands on Piazza della Rotonda in the historic centre of Rome, between Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain. It is part of the Historic Centre of Rome World Heritage Site and is managed by the Italian Ministry of Culture.

Marcus Agrippa built the first temple on the site under Augustus. After fires, Emperor Hadrian rebuilt it around AD 113 to 125, keeping Agrippa's name in the inscription on the front. In 609 the Byzantine emperor gave it to Pope Boniface IV, who consecrated it as the church of Santa Maria ad Martyres, and its use as a church helped preserve it.

The portico has 16 granite columns brought from Egypt. Inside, the rotunda is topped by a dome 43.3 metres across, still the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. The height to the top equals the diameter, so a sphere would fit perfectly inside. The oculus, an open hole 9 metres wide, is the only source of light, and rain falls through it onto the sloped floor with drains.

The Pantheon holds the tombs of the painter Raphael and the Italian kings Victor Emmanuel II and Umberto I. An entry ticket has been charged since 2023, with free entry for some groups, and Mass is still held on Sundays and holy days.

What does a Pantheon ticket cost? The full adult ticket rose from EUR 5 to EUR 7 on 1 July 2026, according to Italy's Ministry of Culture. Visitors aged 18 to 25 pay EUR 2. Entry is free for under-18s, for residents of Rome, for anyone attending a religious service and for everyone on the first Sunday of each month. About 4.5 million people visited in 2025.

Tickets carry an entry time and are sold through the Ministry's Musei Italiani system; same-day slots can sell out in summer. Third-party sites sell audio-guide and guided packages at much higher prices, so compare before you pay. The building is open daily from 9.00 to 19.00, with last entry at 18.30, though it closes to tourists during Mass.

Tips for the visit. Morning slots are the quietest, and the light through the oculus shifts across the coffered ceiling through the day. On Pentecost Sunday, firefighters drop thousands of red rose petals through the oculus after Mass, a tradition that draws large crowds. Shoulders and knees should be covered, as the Pantheon is a working church.

Piazza della Rotonda has cafes facing the portico and a fountain with an Egyptian obelisk at its centre. The church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, with Bernini's elephant obelisk outside, is a two-minute walk behind the Pantheon.