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Wikipedia says the Pantheon was built by Agrippa and Hadrian. The columns section has Agrippa's name on it. Did Agrippa just build that part, then the dome was added later by Hadrian?Has anyone ever been there? It looks awesome. Is it huge? My sister has a few pictures of it when she went.On a side note: I think Hadrian's Arch is really cool. Facing Athens it says "the city of Athens" and facing the other way it says "the city of Hadrian"? (there must be a huge meaning)
Yes it is pretty huge. I saw it when I went to Rome in 2005. I didnt go in though because I did not want to pay the 7 Euro fee to see something I would only spend about 1/2 hour in. Everything in Rome costs money, some is worth paying for but some is not. The 15 Euro to get into the Forum and Capitoline hill was well worth it though.I think Hadrian finished it but it was started by Agrippa. Not Sure though.
I was there over a decade ago. It is not that huge…though this depends on your definition of “huge”. Here's a photo with people in front so that you can see human scale…..well, maybe it does seem big. It was an engineering marvel for its day and for well after; I think it was the largest free-standing dome until perhaps the 19th or 20th century. I think that a number of features on the inside have been copied in architecture throughout the ages.I do not remember paying an entrance fee to get in. I wonder if they instituted this after I went. Seven Euro is a lot of money to get into such a place. It's unfortunate that such prices are so high.
I'd be surprised if they didn't charge. They have to pay for restoration and maintenance. I prefer free, but if my admission helps pay to keep history alive, I wouldn't mind all that much.
Maybe when I went last the fee was not nearly so high so I don't remember paying. Paying 7 Euro/$11 to enter into a single building? That seems pricey to me, but I realize that they need to ensure the building's upkeep.I read an article last fall or so which discussed the issue of whether churches should be charging people to enter to view priceless works of art that are contained therein. The writer argued that no, people should not have to pay since the purpose of having them there is supposed to be for spiritual aid which is free to all. I like that argument, but then I wonder how the churches are expected to pay to maintain the works. I'm sure that fees work much better than free-will offerings.
I dont have a problem paying to go into historic buildings. On our visit to the Pantheon we were pressed for time and there was a line so we did not thin we had the time to justify paying the fee to ourselves. On the issue of churches paying for entrance, I wonder what the faith of the author of that article is. I am Catholic and give money to the Church every Sunday in the collection basket, money that helps my parish church but also goes to the church coffers in Rome. I take personal offense at non-Catholics complaining about the works of the church while at the same time saying church buildings should be free so they can enjoy the art that the faithful have bequeathed to the church throughout history. That being said, I dont think I have ever visited a Catholic church, to include Saint Peter's in Rome, that charges an entrance fee. Almost all have an alms box dedicated to the churches upkeep but I have never seen one charge an entry fee. Many charge for visiting the top of towers and such, but not for getting into the church in the first place. I was at the Frauenkirche in Munich two day ago and entry into the nave is free but there is a small 2 Euro fee to go to the top of one of the bell towers for the view. The view from up top is something to behold and well worth the fee. Unforunately currently one of the towers of the church is covered with scaffolding because it is being renovated. I always seem to catch cultural monuments during renovation for some reason. Here is a view of the church:
I always seem to catch cultural monuments during renovation for some reason.
That's what I'm afraid of. I don't want to go on a once in a lifetime trip to Greece or something and find the Parthenon covered. Is there anyway to find this stuff out beforehand?That's a cool picture!
That's what I'm afraid of. I don't want to go on a once in a lifetime trip to Greece or something and find the Parthenon covered. Is there anyway to find this stuff out beforehand?
If there is, I have not figured it out yet.
That is a neat picture. I think I went to church there a few years ago. BTW, maybe you've heard this before but if you go into the nearby Hofbrauhaus and look at the ceiling you can see these ribbons or decorations painted on the ceilings that clearly cover up swastikas. But back to the payment to see religious artwork....I think it was actually a Catholic priest who wrote the article. I couldn't find the article itself, so I'm basing this off my memory. The issue wasn't payment to enter the church itself...I think it was free to go inside and pray, but there was a fee for those who were only going in to look at artwork (such as in Florence's Santa Maria Novella which contains a famous Masaccio painting of the Crucifixion).I think the author was speaking from a philosophical point of view about the role of spiritual art, something like how it was turning churches into museums by having people pay when in reality there should be no distinction between worshiping and mediating on the message of the art.
That's what I'm afraid of. I don't want to go on a once in a lifetime trip to Greece or something and find the Parthenon covered. Is there anyway to find this stuff out beforehand?
I think you're bound to find some things under renovation when you travel. Some of this goes on for years. I wouldn't worry about it - just go. Yeah, your postcard-perfect photo might not look as good but it won't change the historical experience, which will impress you more. Besides...it would give you a reason to return at a later date. 🙂BTW, you can always do a Flickr search of photos and look at the "Taken on" date. As you can see, there was scaffolding up over the Parthenon as of yesterday.
Well, it looks like only a section of it..a LARGE section. I wonder if a travel agent would know this stuff. I've seen pictures of it from a while back where it looked like the whole thing was covered by scaffolding. As long as they let me near it and touch it, I'd be happy. Or I could say, hey mind if I go up there and get a closer look at that Marathon frecoe?
Phid hit the nail on the head. You are bound to find renovation going on when you travel to see historic buildings and monuments. Remember, in the case of Greece and Rome these buildings are a couple thousand years old and it takes constant maintenance to keep them in the state they are in. The experience of walking where some of the most famous people from history walked is priceless and scaffolding does not detract from that. If you are going to travel I would not worry about work on monuments, I would plan my trip anyway. In my experience, even when work is being done on a building you can still get in to see it. On my current vacation, we have been to eight major churches/cathedrals and all but one was having some renovation/restoration work done. The churches were still beautiful though.
Ski, I'm not sure that they let you get up that close to touch it in the first place. I can't exactly remember, but there are probably guide ropes that prevent people from getting too close. Although I can remember climbing up on the Mount of Philoppapus statuary in Athens (on a hill across from the Acropolis) when I was in college so my friend could take some funny photos of me. Anyway, would you go with a tour group?
Probably not unless there are tours that go where I want. I'd rather just go on my own for freedom of movement. What if a tour only stops in Olympia for a half or one day and I want to spend 2 or 3 days there? I don't really know how this stuff works anyway.I didn't think one could go inside the Parthenon, but can a tourist physically touch the columns? Seems like Rome has a lot of gates around stuff. I guess you can't just go walk among the ruins of the Forum because there's a gate around it. Is Greece the same? I'm pretty sure, based on pictures I've seen, that one can walk through the entrance gate at Olympia and even go on the track. How cool would that be!
Yes, you can definitely do that in Olympia; I remember my class even did a race there. And I've got pictures on my computer of me in Athens when I was leaning up against one of the huge Columns of Jupiter (remnant of a Roman temple in Athens). So yes, you will be able to touch old architecture in general. I think that the Roman Forum gets 1 million+ visitors per year, and I'd bet the more touristy places probably have ropes up as a matter of policy.
