The Spherical Spatial Designs and their Meanings in the Pantheon, Rome - Term Paper Example

? The Spherical Spatial Designs and its Meanings in the Pantheon, Rome (YOUR (THE The Pantheon in Rome is the most preserved building that stood since the time that the empire was at its height. Tourists from various parts of the world flock to Rome in order to visit this architectural landmark. Like the Coliseum, the Pantheon was an innovation for the Roman architects. The structure of the dome presents the ingenuity of the builders during the time when technology and automatic building equipment were absent. Practicality and the application of simple construction techniques were probably utilized by its engineers in order to produce a marvellous piece of architecture. By looking at the vast span of the empire at that time, dome structures was almost everywhere. From the temples, churches, up to the administrative buildings, the dome was a clear Roman mark in the Roman urban zones. By looking at the existing structures of today, it is clear that the Romans directly influenced modern day engineers and architects. Arenas, stadiums and government buildings are the favored pieces that exemplify the classical Roman built. In fact, the Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. in the US is one of the premier heirs of this type of architecture. Also, the presence of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican could also attest to the influence of the Romans. Indeed, the fall of Rome did not hinder the end of its influential art and architecture. From the Middle-Ages, the Renaissance, up to the dawn of the 18th to the 19th centuries, the spirit of the Romans are present in building structures. With the remarkable Pantheon as the culmination of the ingenious Roman dome, this paper would concentrate on the spherical spatial design of the structure. It will explain the prevalence of these kinds of structures and their significance in the Roman society at that time. By historicizing the Pantheon and narrating the context when it was built, this paper would arrive to a closer answer that pertains to the meanings of the spheres and curvatures that dominate the Pantheon. This paper will then delve into a more focused analysis of its interior. It will try to connect the presence of the pillars to the importance of the spherical feel that the Pantheon creates in its layout. The utter shift from a pagan to a Christian worship will also be explained in this paper. The importance of the dome to the pagans and the Christians will be viewed as varying interpretations based on their respective tenets and beliefs. This paper on the Pantheon’s spherical built is intended to shed light on the mysteries that surround the architecture of this Roman structure. By the end of this study, it should give a clear understanding on the harmony and the coordination of every detail within the Pantheon. The different interpretations of the pagan and Christian should be evident and conclusive as well. For the fulfilment of this research, it will take into account various secondary sources such as books and journal articles. The historical methodology will be used in order to corroborate information and to explain the arguments of the topic at hand. The Roman Context: the Pantheon and the Society in the 1st Century Before doing an analysis on the predominance of the spherical Roman structures and its obvious use in the Pantheon, a brief narrative of the Roman society should be explained in order to contextualize the matter at hand. During the 1st century, the Roman Republic had been expanding rapidly and was transforming into an empire. The principle of expansionism was the primary rationale of the Romans’ will to subject the whole Mediterranean under its control. At the dawn of that century, the concept of the republic was rightfully replaced with the title of the empire, primarily due to the vast expanse of its territories (Hollister, 183-189). Under the Principate, the leadership of the princep or the “first prince” caused a conquest which produced frontiers from the Tigris-Euphrates Valley in the east, the Atlantic in the west, the present-day France and England to the north, and the northern parts of Africa to the south. With this, the Roman Empire became militarized. The need to defend the borders of the empire allowed the Romans to raise an astounding 300,000 to 500,000 for the conscription in the imperial army. The security of Rome’s properties through the highly militarized empire instituted Pax Romana or the “Roman Peace” within the society (Hollister, 190-191). The empire did not only instigate fear amongst its neighbors, but it also established a melting pot of different cultures that only happened during Alexander the Great’s Macedonian Empire. A revival of the Hellenistic culture was again at hand. The indigenous traditions of the east met with the way-of-life of the Roman west (Hollister, 134-139). There was something different with the mixing of culture under the Greeks and the Romans. While the Greek Macedonians allowed the east to influence the western society, the Romans had full control of their culture and theirs dominated from that of the indigenous east. During the 1st century onwards, the Roman society had a rich economy which was based on the agricultural and manufacturing zones of the empire. The various cities within the empire were the key players in supporting and stabilizing economic life. Western cities including Rome as the capital functioned as the commercial and trading centers for merchants and land owning elites. These were the areas where slave trade happened, where the patricians resided and where the politicians debated over matters of administering the Roman Empire. These cities were the primary locations of military bases as well. Roman generals who were often the leaders of the empire planned on further expansionism and defense (Hollister, 194-195). Given this pretext, it is only understandable that Roman urban planning was applied amongst the busiest zones of the empire. Particularly those in the West, cities flourished through their booming images: high rise commercial buildings, administrative halls, entertainment arenas, temples, churches and huge villas or residential areas. This was the background, the society and the politics, of the Pantheon’s birth; the time when it had been constructed. The Structure of the Pantheon: An Affiliation with the Dome and Spherical Designs Since the time of its construction, the bold, brilliantly simple schema of Hadrian's Pantheon has inspired much emulation, commendation, and even fear. Modern commentators tend to view the building as a high point in an "architectural revolution" brought about mainly through the Roman development of a superior pozzolana concrete that lent itself to the forming of unitary, three-dimensional structures. Other factors cited for the technical success of the Pantheon include the use of a series of massive, concentric stepped rings and the lightening of the dome by coffering and gradated light-weight aggregates (Mark and Hutchinson, 24). Robert Mark and Paul Hutchinson summarize the essential aspects of the Pantheon in their in-depth study of the structure. Indeed, it was an architectural piece superior to any of those contemporary to its time. This section will thus analyse the origins of the structure, the critical parts of its architectural make-up and the significant themes evident in the temple’s physical attributes. The 1st century saw the rise of many administrative buildings, entertainment arenas and religious establishments that gave credence to the typical Roman architecture. At that time, the Romans were fond with rotundas and spherical designs. The existence of numerous ampitheaters all throughout the Roman Empire was a considerable example for this case. The Coliseum in Rome, for one, was a perfect image for a circular arena that indicated the typical Romans structure. The details of the structure’s exterior bear an array of arches that functions as the entry and exit points of the ampitheater (Szegedy-Maszak, 121-122). It was thus not uncommon for the Romans to apply the magnificence of the dome to one of Rome’s primary religious buildings – the Pantheon. The Pantheon was constructed at around 118 to 128 A.D. It was one of the most revered domed structures of the empire at that time (see Figure 1). It was well established that the application of the dome was already the Roman architects and engineers’ distinct signatures. What was different in this structure was that no dome was built large enough to surpass the Pantheon. It was, basically, the greatest dome structure that Rome had produced (Mark and Hutchinson, 24). Ambitious and great, these are the words that can fit the magnificence of the Pantheon. The Romans had the tendency to compete amongst themselves. If the Coliseum was the culmination of the ampitheaters of the Roman Empire, the Pantheon was the greatest of the domed structures. Many scholars believed that the Pantheon set the stage for the Roman architectural revolution. The magnanimity and colossal built of the structure required it to have the firmest quality of concrete in order to sustain the construction of curvilinear architectural forms (Mark and Hutchinson, 24). The Pantheon took almost a thousand construction workers for it to be accomplished in over a span of three years (Wilson-Jones, 179-182). Indeed, a combination of the best materials with a huge battalion of workers was needed in order to accomplish the Pantheon. By looking at the interior of the structure, the dome alone possesses a magnificent but simple design. The square-like figures called coffers have an array of 28 pieces in one of the five circular spheres that rise up to the topmost portion of the dome (MacDonald, 141-142). Geometrically, these coffers manifest perfection and harmony. The soundness in the distances of each of the coffers is perfectly so in order to convey a message of calmness within this temple of worship. It is believed that the coffers used to contain bronze plating, gems and other precious material so as to imitate the stars in the night sky (MacDonald, 141-142). The array of these numerous coffers would have successfully imitated the evening atmosphere where serenity and silence took hold of worshippers within the temple (see Figure 2). From the ceiling of the Pantheon’s interior up to the flooring of the structure, the patterns of concentric circles and perfect squares are evident. If the dome manifests a dominant spherical theme, the floor constitutes a pattern of squares that complement the magnificence above (MacDonald, 63) (see Figure 3). Geometry is a huge factor for the interior of the Pantheon. The coffers and the square-patterned flooring are like a reflection of the ceiling. This can be interpreted as sky reflecting the sea, where the spherical dome towering over the flooring down below. Around the circular area of the temple, Corinthian pillars thrived before the entrances of the different chambers of the structure. These towering pillars manifested a unique Roman style that was distinct to the Romans alone. Of the Tuscan columns, only the grandest and most intricately designed Corinthian was deemed fit to be included in the geometrically calculated interior of the structure (Boethius, 249-252) (see Figure 4). This aspect was logical for the intended design of the Pantheon. As the coffers of the domed ceiling and the square-patterned flooring implied the combination of the night sky and the sea, the Corinthian columns with its leaf-like headers could be attributed to the trees which are abundant in a natural setting. Religion and the Pantheon: the Significance of Internal Design to Sacred Worship If in the previous section, the structural composition of the Pantheon was studied, the subsequent analysis is concerned with the architectural connection of the structure with the pagan and Christian worship. The Pantheon was a temple of worship - this was the original purpose of the structure. It was frequently called as the Temple of Mercury (Mark and Hutchinson, 24). At the time of the 1st century, Roman pagan worship was the predominant religion of the empire. It was only logical that the interior design of the temple to hold a naturalistic theme. As what had been discussed in the earlier portion, the coffers of the domed ceiling with the square-patterned flooring and the Corinthian pillars all represent the aspects of nature like the sky, the sea and the trees, respectively. Hence, the purpose of the temple was fit for the pagan worship of the Romans which involved reverence for gods and goddesses of nature and humanity (Hamilton, 13-23). Followers and worshippers of the Roman deities would experience the serenity of the geometric harmony created by the interior of the structure. The Pantheon, indeed, brought nature and its deities closer to the Roman people. As the Roman Empire was Christianized, the Pantheon was duly converted into a Christian place of worship – a church. It was during the years of the 17th to the 18th centuries that the leaders of the church converted the pagan temple into a Christian structure. It was Pope Clement XI who spear-headed the Christianization process of the Pantheon. The pontiff ordered for the construction of chambers that functioned as chapels for specific saints. Altars were also installed for the purpose of conducting the Holy Eucharist (Wilson-Jones, 199-210). With the forceful deviation from the pagan purposes of the Pantheon, Christianity became the focal point of the newly instituted church in Rome. Numerous statues of saints were placed, religious frescoes were commissioned and every pagan remnant of the former temple was stripped off. Eventually, the Pantheon was the occasional location of papal burials and papal glorification through the vast numbers of busts and sculptures (Wilson-Jones, 184-197). It was now a questionable aspect whether the geometric characteristics of paganism interior of the Pantheon would offset Christianity which was prevalent in the converted purpose of the structure. The role of the oculus at the apex of the dome would finally play its part in the completion of Christianising the Pantheon. For its functional purpose, the oculus was intended for the sunlight to penetrate the interiors of the structure (see Figure 5). Also, rainfall was allowed to enter the temple in order to complete the naturalistic style of the structure. It was for this very reason that the church used the oculus as the opening or vault to the heavens (MacDonald, 141-142). Thus, the church probably used the presence of the oculus as the entry point of Christian worship to God – a gateway, so to speak, for religious communication. Conclusion: Spheres, Geometry and Religion in the Pantheon Indeed, there are significant meanings to the presence of the spheres and curvatures that dominate the Pantheon. By analysing the short narrative of the socio-political context of the Roman Empire in the 1st century, it can be said that the thriving and expanding empire, with the strong economic and diverse market place within the key Roman cities, allowed the structural and architectural aspects of the Rome to flourish as well. With cultural superiority and economic stability, Roman urban planning thrived and produced significant influences when it came to administrative and religious buildings. A concrete example to this is the Pantheon in Rome. The architectural revolution instigated by the Pantheon contributed to the greatness of Roman structures in general. By looking at the physical attributes of the Pantheon, the domed ceiling with its coffers and square-patterned flooring manifest the greatness of Roman builders (see Figure 6). This type of architecture had deeper implications for the pagan worship of the empire. The concept of naturalism thrived within the Corinthian pillars, the ceiling and the flooring of the Pantheon. On the other hand, the Christian transformation of this pagan temple was a monumental feat. The oculus, in particular, was interpreted as the gateway to the heavens; a way for the Christians of Rome to communicate to God. True enough; the spherical attributes of the Pantheon’s interior had a contribution to the message of the structure to its patrons. Works Cited Boethius, Axel. “Of Tuscan Columns”. American Journal of Archaeology, July, 1962: pp. 249- 254. Print. Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. New York: Mentor Books, 1969. Print. Hollister, C. Waren. Roots of the Western Tradition. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2006. Print. MacDonald, William L. The Pantheon: Design, Meaning, and Progeny. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1976. Print. Mark, Robert and Paul Hutchinson. “On the Structure of the Roman Pantheon”. The Art Bulletin, March, 1986: pp. 24-34. Szegedy-Maszak, Andrew. “A Perfect Ruin: Nineteenth-Century Views of the Colosseum”. Arion, Third Series, Winter, 1992: pp. 115-142. Print. Wilson-Jones, Mark. Principles of Roman Architecture. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003. Print. Appendix Read More