Temples of Largo Argentina/Pantheon

Today, we visited the remains of the Temples of Largo Argentina and the Pantheon. The Temples of Largo Argentina are located on what used to be called the Campus Martius, the outer area of the Roman Forum. There are remains of four temples and the deities associated with each are unknown. Behind the Temples of Largo Argentina are the remains of the Theatre of Pompey, which was the location of Julius Caesar's murder in 44 BC. Then, we made our way to the Pantheon, my personal favorite Roman monument. It was constructed during the Augustan era as a temple dedicated to all the gods. The temple was modified during the reign of Hadrian dramatically, which was when the dome and ocular was added. During the Christian era, it became a church. Thus, it is the oldest church to this day. Inside, we could see the massive dome and ocular, allowing sunlight to give a presence of a divine light. Also, the tomb of Raphael is located inside the Pantheon. Afterwards, I visited the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. It was built on top of the remains of a temple to Minerva, the Roman equivalent of Athena. Outside, there is an elephant statue by Bernini attached to an Egyptian obelisk. Inside, there is a Michelangelo statue of Christ Bearing the Cross. Then, I finally made my second trip back to St. Paul's Outside-the-Wall's church, but this time I was able to go inside. The entrance was beautiful, being adorned with classical style columns and a luxurious garden. Inside, there is a painted arch with an image of Christ in the middle, Peter on the left with his two keys symbolizing the keys to heaven and earth, and Paul on the right with his sword symbolizing his spread of christianity. Afterwards, I finished the readings that were due for the quiz and attended an evening lecture.