The Rise and Fall of Iconic Buildings The Greeks and Romans have many architectural buildings built throughout time that have great significance and beauty, but only some of them are iconic. The Romans have built beautiful and extravagant buildings since long ago. For example, The Pantheon was a temple built as a tribute to the Gods of Rome. Not all of the buildings built in Rome were intended for use of worship and prayer though. The Colosseum, an iconic symbol of Rome and Roman warriors, was built as a gift to the Romans for entertainment and battles for all to enjoy. The Greeks also have a temple dedicated to the deities but it is dedicated to the Athenian deity and it was built long before the two previous buildings in Rome. These structures …show more content…
An online metaphysics scientist states that The Pantheon was “originally built as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets in the Roman state religion, but which has been a Christian church since the 7th century.” (Crystalinks, “The Roman Pantheon”) The original Pantheon had baths and water gardens. Emperor Hadrian put large statues of Augustus and Agrippa near the entrance as a dedication to the original builders of the Pantheon. In the 6th century, Byzantine Emperor Phocas, gave the Pantheon to Pope Boniface and it has been used as a church ever since. Turning it into a church has kept it from being abandoned and falling apart like most of the old Roman buildings. Over time they have added different uses to the building. During the Renaissance period, they decided to also use it as a tomb for certain kings of Italy, an architect and the famous painters Raphael and Annibale Caracci. The history is not the only thing that makes this building great, the architecture plays a big role in it also. The Pantheon is a round building featuring a dome ceiling. From the front it looks rectangular but that is only the front room, the rest of it is round and has supporting arches. Its diameter and