Roses and the Pantheon
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So for those of you who are not Catholic or went to Catholic school and promptly forgot everything (AKA ME) you may not realize that today is Pentecost. You are probably wondering what that has to do with the Pantheon and roses, well every year on Pentecost they throw roses through the dome of the Pantheon.
I love the Pantheon so much that I would make sure I passed it on my way to work and almost always instagramed it 🙂
I had been dreaming of going to this ever since I heard about it. I LOVE the Pantheon, it is by far my favorite ancient monument and Hadrian is my favorite Roman Emperor. He was eccentric, he traveled and he loved Greece and Architecture. He is my hero and he built the Pantheon. So you can imagine how excited I was to hear about this crazy rose petal thing. Well being the awesome Catholic, non Catholic I am I had no idea when they did this! Thank God Alex’s parents came to town for his graduation and knew when Pentecost was and all about the throwing of the roses. We were able to get to the Pantheon that morning super early because it gets crowded and we secured a spot by the oculus. We then stood through an entire hour and a half Pentecost mass. It was actually really interesting even for this agnostic because I had not been to a traditional/important mass since I moved to Rome.
After the mass was finished, as the final prayers were being said all of a sudden roses started raining down from the ceiling. It was so beautiful and awe inspiring and even though it only lasted about five minutes, it felt like forever. I could have stood there all day and watched the roses fall from the ceiling.
The roses are just beginning to fall
As the roses fall from the oculus they play in the shadows
Roses cascading from the ceiling
It was tough to catch how magical this event truly was. If you ever find yourself in Rome during Pentecost make time for this amazing experience
9 thoughts on “Roses and the Pantheon”
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We are Ashley and Alex and we're foodies and boozies who eat, drink and live local. Our goal is to scour the globe looking for inside local tips, the best places to eat and the best places to drink with the locals.
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I have never heard of this either. If their intent was to make it look like the fiery tongues that came down over the people’s heads on that 1st Pentecost, they certainly accomplished a beautiful commemoration. It must have been awesome…then as well as today. Wow….just wow!!!!
I am not sure their intent but its been done for around 2000 years apparently. Its absolutely amazing to see though!
Wow, as a fellow lover of the remarkable Pantheon I vometely understand your adoration! I’ve also never heard oh this but your photos are stunning! I would live to experience that magical moment – perhaps next year. 😉
Thanks so much! It was magical, definitely worth making time to go see.