The Relieving Arches of the Pantheon

I was in the Piazza Della Rotonda today observing the place I have chosen to focus some of my blogs on each week. It was a particularly gorgeous day outside at the piazza; there just a couple wispy clouds in the sky and the sun was down on all of the tourists. I was sitting at the fountain taking all the action of the area in.

I decided to walk closer to the Pantheon and I began listening to a tour being given to a couple people and it was luckily in English! The guide was discussing the exterior of the Pantheon and pointing out some architectural features that I had never taken into account before. I learned that the walls of the Pantheon are an amazing twenty feet thick. Visible from the exterior are built-in brick arches which I have provided a picture of above. These brick arches distribute weight downwards which functions to support and relieve the stress of the heavy roof or dome of the building.