St. Theo and the Pantheon

 When you visit Rome, there's one place you don't want to miss seeing--the Pantheon. Yeah, it is popular and you have to stand in line. And it's still considered a church so you have to dress decently to get inside--no mini shorts or sleeveless tops. 

Even though I've been inside many times, it is worth going back to see. Truly magnificent. Awe-inspiring. 

Technically, the Pantheon is a former Roman temple and the only ancient Roman building that has remained intact over the centuries. 

Even though it is the third building on the site (the first two burned down) it still dates back to 128 AD. 

The fact that it was a church and, in fact, still functions as a church saved it from destruction. Fear of God. (Tear down a church and who knows what can happen to you.)

When Michelangelo saw the Pantheon for the first time, he said it was designed by angels, not man. Thomas Jefferson modeled his beloved Monticello on it. Famous people are buried in its vault: Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo (Les Miserable), Emile Zola, Louis Braille, and even Marie Curie. 

But the most fascinating thing to me is when you walk inside, what you see is almost exactly what an ancient Roman would have seen thousands of years ago. You are literally stepping back in time. There are few places like it left in today's world.

The large columns that support the portico weigh 60 tons and were hauled over from Egypt. The dome on the top of the Pantheon is bigger than the dome in St. Peter's. 

I am definitely awe-struck as I walk around, amidst the hundreds of tourists who are also there. Block out the cell phone cameras and the incessant chatter. I try to imagine what it would have been like to see a place like this when you were most likely living in a hut somewhere with no electricity or access to water unless you went to a well.

All of this is nothing to Theo. He wants to go into the Pantheon for one reason only. He's heard there's a hole in the roof. A big hole. And he wants to see it for himself. 

I try to explain. The ceiling or dome portion of the ceiling has a big hole or oculus in the middle, which is 27 feet in diameter. It was put there deliberately to let the sun in (and all the other elements). It is true, when it rains, the rain comes in. 

He looks up and sees the oculus. He is impressed. He's never seen a ceiling with a hole in it before. If he could, he would probably try to climb up and out--onto the roof. 

I try to distract him. There is a beautiful angel statue off to the side.

And behind the statue a fantastic painting. And there's another painting over there. 

I'm not sure Theo hears me. He's staring straight upwards. Can he see something I can't see? Of course, the other reason why there's a hole in the ceiling is that the ancients believed the hole was a conduit to God, a way for them to feel closer to him.

Is that what's going on? 

Is this a vision? Should I be calling him St. Theo? Finally, we have to leave and I reluctantly pull Theo away from his view. No use talking to him about it. I know what he'll say--the same thing he always says:

"I do what I have to do."