https://nostrcheck.me/media/public/nostrcheck.me_7f26a1cf44d3f9ebbc177331d32dd7a9e0b1e1dd545e0755.webp

One of the first special effects in history.

Every 21 April, on the day of the foundation of Rome, at noon the sun enters the Oculus of the Pantheon at such an angle that it creates a beam of light that perfectly centres the entrance portal.

Every year, during the imperial age, the feast of St Caesar, deacon and martyr, took place: during the ceremony, the emperor would enter the building and his body would be illuminated from head to toe by the light of the sun.

The extraordinary visual effect that still fascinates Romans and tourists today, adding a royal touch to Christmas in Rome, was designed when the Pantheon was built by Agrippa, son-in-law of Emperor Augustus, in 27 BC.

The rays of the sun, filtering through the oculus, mark the succession of the seasons by striking certain points of the temple every day, and on the very day that the birth of Rome occurs (21 April 753 BC), the beam of light illuminates the imposing bronze door.

#art