Pantheon Rome Church - Research Paper Example

 PANTHEON ROME CHURCH The Augustan period saw a sudden increase in the building activities, extravagantuse of marble and innovation in design. This was a symptom of the community beginning to stretch out its muscles and breaking away from the earlier civilizations and rigid tradition. This was the period of massiveimperialpatronage, realization, andevolution of moreimpressivebuilding technologies andprojects to be undertaken. Thiswas not only in Rome butalso across thewholeempire. This istheperiod that buildingswerepropagandafortheperceivedand might culturalsuperiority in theempire. With thecontinuedexpansion of theempire, craftsmenandevenideasbecame an integral of the Roman architecturalindustry. Mable becamethemainbuildingmaterial as theempiregrewandthemainchoiceforthemost of thestatesfundedprojects (Robertson, 1945) The Romans rathertheywerethefirst to seethefullcapabilities of producingcement from itdid not inventthe lime mortar. By thefirstcentury BC, its usewaswidespread in walls, foundations, andvaults. In addition to theconcrete's structuralpossibilities, itwascheaper than solidstone yet had a morepresentablefaçadewhenusing Mable veneer, stucco, orotherrelativelycheapermaterial(Robertson, 1945). Brick wallswerefacedusingstucco that could alsobe carved as bricks could in producingarchitecturaldesignsanddecorations that werepreviouslyrendered in stoneonly. Stuccowas a composition of mixed gypsum, sandandmarbledust. Pumice and volcanic Tufa wereusedmainly in domes due to their lightweight. The pantheons architectidentityremainsunknown. Butaccording to scholars, it is attributed to Apollodorus of Damascus. TheHadrian’s pantheons parts are a columned porch. It consists of eight massiveCorinthian granitic columns in front, a monumentaldome,and an intermediatearea of brick. It is thelargestsurvivingdome, andalsotheworld's largestdome until 1436 whenthe Brunelleschi's dome at the Florence Duomo wascompleted. The Pantheon is an ancientmagnificenttemple in Rome. Theorigin of pantheon derived from a Greek wordmeaning“allgods" It'sthemostinfluentialandpreservedoldbuilding in Rome. Thetemplestands in themodern Rome businessCentre Campo Marzo. Theprimaryaim of thetemplewas to honorthe Roman religionhighestgods. Despite its nameandthe obviousness, probablyitwas not an "allgods”templebecauseaccording to thehistoriansandthecurrent researchers nooneknewexactlywhoworshipped in thetemple. Despite theexistence of thetemple, itremains a misery about the Roman religion (Smith, 1956) Originally,Marcus Agrippa a magistrate whose name was written on the inscription commemorating Actions Victory over Cleopatra and Antony built the option in 27-25 BC. Whatremains a misery is thepurpose of thebuilding, despite thesizeandscale of thetemple; all thiswas an emphasis on power to the Romans. Bearing is also a celestialrepresentationandsymbolism in thetemple which links to thefarriches of theempire. In A.D 80,thePantheonwasdestroyed by fireandlaterrebuilt in about 125 AD, which was Emperor Hadrian’s Reign. The Pantheon is built as a dome in which theinterior is 142 feet in diameter. Until the Brunelleschi's dome, itstood as thelargestdomeeverthoughitremainsthemasonrydomeever in theworld. Its architecture is perfectlyharmoniousbearingthefactthat its diameter is exactlyequal to the tothedistance from thetop to thefloor ((Smith, 1956) "Pan" which means everything and "the" meaningdivineformed a combinedsymbolismsuch as homage to all thegods. Originallybeing a pagantempleand a place of worshipforthe seven Roman godsnamely; Moon, Sun, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn,and Mars. Thisconceptwas a bitrevolutionarybearing in mindthat at thattimetemplewererestrictedonly to vestals andpriests. Itsstand is at thespotwhere Romulus wascarriedaway after his death by an eagle. Thepresent Pantheon wasbuilt between 118and 125 by Emperor Hadrian after itwassuccumbed to fire in A.D 80 butstands on some of theoriginalfoundationstructures. In its construction, neithertheimagerynorthestyleconformstothearchitecturaldesign dominant in thetime of pantheon construction. This isbecauseit's an engineeringmasterpiece consisting of an enormous capped dome encasing theinteriorslargestspacethatthe Romans evercreated. When Hadrian began his designs, his planscalledfor a massiveandelaboratestructurefarmore of what Rome hadeverseen. This consisted of three mainparts, an entranceporticoor pronaos, a circular domed vaultorrotundaand a link between the two structures. Theinternal geometry of thevault would create a spheremoreperfect, since thevaultsheights to thedomestopwere to match its diameter (43.30m). The dorms topthen consisted of an eyeor Oculus, which is a circularopening (8.2m) as theonlylightsource. According to Hadrian, his intentionswere to have a sanctuary of allgodsandproducealikeness of thestellarsphereandtheterrestrialglobe. Theskywasrevealed by a cupola at theCentre through a greathole that alternately showeddarkandblue. Thistemplewasboth mysteriously enclosedandopenmakingitbe conceived as a solar quadrant. Construction The pantheon might be described as thefirststructuralbuilding from theclassicalarchitecture, in which theinterior is intentionallymade to outshinetheoutside. Therotundaorthebuildingscircularpartwasdecorated with two bronze doors that measured 12 by 7.5 m. Thecurrentones are ancientthough not original. Its diameter is exactlytheheight of thedome, It also consists of an opening (the oculus) with a decorative bronze sheet frieze, whiletheinterioris lightened by five ringscomprising of 28 coffers that reduce in size as itapproachesthedomesCentre. Its wall is six metersthick with seven alcoves that are semicircularandrectangular. Opposite thedoor is an alcove that is themostimpressivefeaturereachingtheceiling. Italsobears a decorative red porphyry frieze with a cornice flanked by two major Corinthian marblecolumns. Thealcovesalsobear three nichesfor four statues with a smallwindow. Therotundawallalso has seven windowsaround. There is a pavement with a squarepatternmade of red porphyry, grey granite, Phrygian purple and Numidian yellowmarble. The Hadrian's engineersbegan by clearingthesiteandfoundationpreparation. Thisinvolved digging of a circulartrench 26 feetwideand 15 feetdeepforthevaultsfoundationandtherectangulartrenchesforthe connector andthe pronaos. Trencheswerelined with timberformsand layered with pozzolana cement. Despite the Romans experience in concretebuilding since about 200 BC, the pantheon's workwasdifficultandhad to proceed in gradualstages. Buildingssurroundingthesitealsoposed a challenge to laborers due to lack of adequatespace to work. There wasalsothelack of machinery. Mainlywet lime washandmixed with volcanic ash all in a mortarboxsprinklingverylittlewater to get a nearlydrycomposition. Thismixturewasferried to thejobsite by the use of basketsandpoured over a layer of well-prepared rockpieces. Themotorwasthen tamped into therocklayers that reducedtheneedfor excess water as well as stimulating bonding. Transportwasalso a majorproblembecausealmost everything had to be transported by boat. Thiswasinclusive of the 16 gray granitic columnsordered by Hadrian forthe Pantheon's pronaos. Each of thesewas about 11.8m tall, 1.5m in diameter,and an average of 60 tons in weight. All of thesematerialswere quarriedfromthe Egypt's easternmountains of Mons Claudianus. Theyhad to be dragged on woodensledges up to Nile andlater to Alexandria by floating. At Alexandria, theywerecut on vessels across the Mediterranean to Ostia the Roman Port (Brown, 1961) Theconstruction of theconcretedomebegan by constructingstepsorcourses that are thick at thebase about 20 feetandthin at the oculus about 7.5 feet. Themainmaterials that wereusedweremainly basalt at thebottomandsubstituting them with lightermaterials at thetop. Theseincludedmaterialssuch as pumice. Thedomesmiddlepartmainly consist of a diameter oculus orhole that servedthepurpose of letting in lightandsmokeout. Thissymbolizesthesun. Theheavensweresymbolized by the coffered ceilingthough its mainintentionwas to reducetheweight of thedome. concretes recipe is sandcementandstone. Otherwise, lime and ash could havebeenusedinstead of cement. Butthemainweaknessorchallenge is thattraditionalconcrete is muchheavy with a largeportion of theweightbeingthe aggregate stone. Thewonder of the pantheon architecture is that a sphere 142 feet in diameter can fitinsideperfectly. This isbecausetheround’sdiameterandtheheight of theinterior from the oculus to thefloor are thesame. This is among thegreat Archimedes mathematicaldiscoveries of a sphere within a cylinder. Thisdemonstrates 2:3 collaboration theories between thevolume of a cylinderand a sphere. Consequently the pantheons domestarts at themiddlepoint of thebuilding, whereas a third of its domeembedded into the drum. Theinteriormassiveroomis designedandsymbolizestheheavens, thegreateyeorthe oculus symbolizesthelightandthelife-givingsun. The oculus is symbolicandshowsthesun as thesource of all thelight on theearth. Theraincoming through theeye collects anddrains at theCentrewhilethestoneandmoisturehelps to keeptheinsidecoolinthesummer. Yearly during equinox on June 21st sun’sraysshinesthrough thefrontdoor from the oculus. With thesechallenges, the Romans wereable to overcomethechallenges by reducingtheconcreteweight through theuse of lightermaterialsuch as pumice and Tufa. A coffered wasdesigned to reducethedomesvolumeandhencescaling down thetotalweight. There wasalso an incremental reduction of thedomesthickness from 21 feet at thesupportingwalls to four feet at the oculus by setting up a series of rings. The oculus that is a hole at thecenterwasalsomeantforweightreduction at thefarthestpoints of supportthus a point of maximumforces. Concretewascast over a woodenframeandpressureapplied to it in order to compact all theresidualair out of theconcrete. Thisgave a strongset of concrete. Thedomesuppercourseswereembedded by emptyclayjugs that servedthepurpose of weightreduction in thestructure as well as facilitatingtheconcrete's curing. There wasalsotheuse of temporarywooden centering usedfor layering of concentric rings of concreteandmasonry. This centering has beentheorized over theyear by engineerswherebysomeclaimthatheavywooden scaffolding wasused throughout theconstruction by linkingthefloor to the oculus. Somealsobelievethatthe centering was not importantforthelower third in thedomesconstruction. Thus, the Romans used a lighter centering to supportthedome's interior (Brown, 1961) Historically, only a fewbuildings in theworld with a historysimilar to the pantheon. None ismuchglorious as the Pantheon to representthe genius knowledge of the Roman architecture. Despite itsalteredstate, with much of its outerdecorationstripped off over themillenniaand its interiormodified, thePantheonstillshowtheaim of the Roman perfection in bothphilosophicalharmonyandstructuralintegrity.The pantheon showstheremarkableachievements of the Roman engineering, thepolitical imperium as a statement of Roman stability, andalsothe cosmography andsacred geometry of theancient Romans. Its domeresemblestheheavenlyvaults, butthefloor (pavimentum) can be interpreted as an imperium statement. Itwasoriginallybuilt by Agrippa as an ovatio that is a non-military triumph to Augustus, butwaslatertransformedandrebuilt by Emperor Hadrian whohighlyvaluedthe Roman culture as a monumentaltemple. He envisioned it as a personalphilosophical Pythagorean summation of what should be entailed in a Roman monument, as an imperial artifact orstatement of power. Hadrian may alsohaveintended to useandshow Agrippa's memorial as his link to the Augustan glory. The Pythagorean units are shown by therectangular portico with thetriangular pediments that connect to themaintemplestructureorcylindricaldrum. Thecosmeticsacred geometry can be seen in therectangle of portico, triangle of pedimental porchandtheroof's hemisphere which makes a fullsphere in thespace between themarblefloorandthe roof.it wasintended by Hadrian to integratethemathematicalpolygons harmoniously.The oculus at theceilingsymbolizes a mirror of theheaven which opens to thesky. The ribbed graduatedceiling coffers were a sign of theplanetarygods. In the Imperium statements, theopus sectile floor consisting of marble is an evidence of stones from theentireempire. Despite theuse of marbles not beingtheearliest, it’s a sign of thecontemporary Roman context in its design. Theidea of imperium is suggested by thespecificmarbles that includethe Egypt's purple porphyry, the Asian Docimian Pavonozzetto, yellow Numidiana marble of Carthageorigin. Thus, the pavimentum floor could show all the four corners of Romanian Mediterranean. These pavimentum stones can be perceived to showandexpresstheconquest of Egypt, carthage, Gaul and Asia. All theseindeedshow a translation of governmentprogram into stone. It is almost globally accepted to be themostfascinatingandsurvivingancient Roman monumentalbuilding in theuniverse. Two circles of bipedalwereused to createthedome's oculus accompanied by handmadebrickswhichact as a ring of compression. Bipedalwerelaid in theedgesforming three verticalcourses;then a bronze cornice circledthe oculus. Thiswas not theonlyfeature that baredthe bronze. Hadrian madetheinitialroof bronze tiled, and a Latinwriting on the entablature lettered in bronze. Thisreads "M AGRIPPA L F COS TERTIUM FECIT" which means, "Built by Marcus Agrippa, theson of Lucius, thirdconsul." In 609thestructurewasgranted to Pope Boniface IV by Byzantine Emperor Phocas. The pantheon was reconsecrated as a Christian church by the Pope namingit as "the Church of Mary and all the Martyr Saints" (Santa Maria ad Martyres). Thistitleis stillretained to date. Theconsecration of thebuilding as a churchsavedit from spoliationand abandonment that befellmost of Rome's ancientbuildings during themediaevalperiod. Theonlyevidentloss is theexternalsculpture that decoratedthe Agrippa's inscription pediment. Despite thesurvival of thegreat bronze doors, theyhaveseverallybeenrestored. After Pope Urban VIII hadtakenoffice, heorderedthe melting down of the bronze ceiling of the pantheons portico. Themelted bronze wasused to make bombards of Castel sant' Angelo fortification. Theremainingwasused at the apostolic chamber. Somewerealsoused at the St. Peters Basilica altar to create a baldachin above thealtar. Later in the 15th centurythe Pantheon wasdecorated with paintings with themostfamousbeingthe "Annuncianzione." The pantheon, since its renaissance has beenconverted into a tomb. Thoseburiedthereincludespainters Annibale Carracci, Raphael, two kings of Italy andarchitect Baldassare Peruzzi .the pantheon remains a church with massesstillcelebratedespeciallyforweddings. Thedesign of theancientconcretebuildingsshowsunparalleledfeatures not found in themoderndesignstandards. Recentresearchshowsseveralminorandmajorcracks in the pantheon thoughitstillfunctionsunimpaired. Thissituationexcitesthecuriosity of themodernstructuralengineers. This isbecauseitwasbuilt without steelreinforcement to resist tensile cracking. Currently, noengineer would dareraise a structure without steelrods. Thecurrentmoderncodesandethics of engineeringdoes not permitsuchmischief. Ifthe pantheon was to be builttoday, most of the technologies used at thattime are currently null in theconstructionsector. First is the Air forming. During its construction, the Romans madethe pantheon's form with onlyearthworksandtimber that is more time-consuming andalso an arduousprocess. With thecurrent technology, a giantairform can be inflated in less than two hours. Themainadvantage of theairform is its portability and can ultimatelybecometheroofmembrane of thefinishedorcompletestructure. Thesecondinnovation is on theconcrete. Theancient pantheon's concretewasmade from a mixture of lime, pozzolan andsmallamounts of water. During thattime, themixture could be stampedand not and not poured into place. With themodern technology, wehavethe Portland cement that is ten timesmuchbetterandstronger, andmucheasier to work with. Thissavestimeandenergy. Morealso, enablingbuildinga stronger stPortland cement is easier to cure than theancientmixture of pozzolan and lime. Theotherinnovation of the modernized architecture is on the rebar. Allconcreteused in construction is weak in tension. Currently with modern technology the pantheon concretecould havebeenstrengthened by reinforcingsteel, that is rebar (MacDonald, 1986). The Roman architecturedid not havethat technology. Mainlytheropes of vitreouschinawereusedforthereinforcement. To furtherimproveandcompensatefortheweightweakness in theconcrete due to weaktension, the Romans had to build drum wallandthickfootingfor their structures. Otherwise, thedomesweight would spreadmainlythevertical drum wallsleading to a collapseof the pantheon within a shorttime. Anotherweakness in the Roman architecturewas on building of Structural pillars. At theancienttime, the Romans had to quarry thepillarsandexcavate them thentransport them which were a verytiresomeand time-consuming activity. After ferryingthepillars, theyhad to erect them straight as theywereso as to offersupport to their structures. Currently in themodernerror, steelrodsare usedtogether with concrete from Portland cementandparticlesfortheconstruction of thestructuralpillars which is easierandsavestime(MacDonald, 1986) Works Cited "Pantheon Rome." Pantheon Rome.Web. 10 Apr. 2015. . "Roman Pantheon." Rome.info. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. . "Rome's Pantheon."Rome Segway Tours 10 Facts about the Pantheon Comments. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. . "Sacred Destinations."Pantheon.Web. 10 Apr. 2015. . " ." [Landscape Architecture Study Tour with Professor Jack Ahern.Web. 10 Apr. 2015. . Cline, Austin. "Pantheon in Rome - History and Architecture."Web. 10 Apr. 2015. . Read More