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The Pantheon

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the Pantheon, Rome, italy

And now for something completely different, the Pantheon.

A massive, hulking place of worship for over two thousand years, the Pantheon started life as a Pagan temple built in 27 BC by Agrippa, upgraded by Emperor Hadrian in 128 AD, then converted to a Christian church in 609 AD - Santa Maria ad Martyres.

The Pantheon is a superb engineering feat and supported the world's largest dome [43m/142ft in both diameter and height] until overtaken by the English town of Buxton [Buxton beats Rome?] in 1882. The top centre of the dome has a 9m/30ft diameter hole that lets in light and rain while letting out prayers and meditative views of the heavens.

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