Who built the Pantheon in Rome?
Marcus Agrippa built the first Pantheon, but Emperor Hadrian commissioned the surviving building in the early second century AD.
Fact-Check & Sources
Sources: ROME: Keys to the Ancient City, printed pages 186–187 (PDF pages 184–185). Cross-checked 21/09/2026 against the Pantheon Basilica’s official history and audio-guide materials at pantheonroma.com. Human review by Patty pending.
Last fact-checked: 21/09/2026
Quick Answer
The answer is really two Romans. Marcus Agrippa built the original Pantheon in the first century BC; after later fires, Emperor Hadrian commissioned the building we see today, completed around AD 125.
Patty's Lens
The name over the door belongs to Agrippa, but the breathtaking room behind it belongs to Hadrian’s age. The Pantheon makes you read one century on the façade and step into another.
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Augustus’s trusted general and son-in-law, built the first Pantheon around 27–25 BC. That structure was damaged and rebuilt more than once. Emperor Hadrian commissioned the present Pantheon between about AD 118 and 125, while preserving Agrippa’s name on the portico inscription. Scholars do not know the individual architect with certainty, so the safest answer is that Agrippa founded the monument and Hadrian created the Pantheon that survives.
The façade prominently names Agrippa, while guidebooks often credit Hadrian. Both statements are true, but they refer to different versions of the building.
Read the inscription before entering, then remember that the enormous rotunda and dome behind it date from Hadrian’s rebuilding, not Agrippa’s original temple.
Agrippa built the first Pantheon; Hadrian commissioned the extraordinary structure standing today.
What to Notice
- The traditional porticoPause beneath the columned entrance before stepping inside.
- The circular interiorNotice how the rotunda changes your sense of space after the straight-lined portico.
- The architectural transitionLook back toward the entrance: the contrast reveals more than one chapter of the building’s story.
Keep Exploring Italy
Keep Exploring
with Loretta
More questions. More stories. A deeper Italy.
Where shall we wander next?
About Patty’s Books
Practical. Personal. A little deeper.
Discover Rome, Venice, and Florence through the history, stories, and details that bring Italy to life.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Pantheon
Did Agrippa build the Pantheon we see today?
No. Agrippa built the original monument; the surviving Pantheon is Hadrianic, dating to the early second century AD.
When was the current Pantheon built?
It was commissioned under Hadrian and completed around AD 125.
Do we know the Pantheon’s architect?
No individual architect can be identified with certainty. Hadrian is the emperor responsible for commissioning the surviving building.
Why is Agrippa’s name on the front?
Hadrian preserved or recreated the dedication to Agrippa, founder of the original Pantheon.
Was the Pantheon rebuilt after fires?
Yes. Earlier versions were damaged by fire before Hadrian’s complete rebuilding.
How old is the present Pantheon?
The surviving structure is roughly nineteen centuries old.