The mighty Pantheon – built in 27 B.C. – is the best preserved structure from the Roman era. In later centuries, the temple was used as a cemetery. 19th-century Italian kings Victor Emmanuel II and Umberto I were buried here, as well as painter Raphael. Later the Pantheon was transformed into a church.
There are a series of bronze letters above the 8 pillars on the façade of the Pantheon: M AGRIPPA. L F. COSTERTIUM. FECIT, or ‘Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, three-time consul, built this’. In the year 80 A.D. Rome was struck by a terrible fire that destroyed numerous buildings, including the Pantheon. It was later rebuilt by order of Emperor Adrian. Every time the Pantheon was damaged by natural disasters, it was restored once again. That is why, 2,000 years later, the building is still in an incredible condition.