Who else is buried in the Pantheon?
Besides Raphael, the Pantheon holds the tombs of modern Italy’s first kings and Queen Margherita, along with several artists and historical figures.
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 Pantheon contains the tomb of Raphael and the royal tombs of Vittorio Emanuele II, Umberto I, and Queen Margherita. Several other artists and historical figures are also memorialized or buried within the church.
Patty's Lens
The dome began as imperial architecture, became a Christian church, and later gathered the dead of Renaissance art and unified Italy. Walk its circle and you walk through several Romes at once.
The most famous artistic burial is Raphael’s. The Pantheon also became a royal mausoleum after Italian unification: Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of a united Italy, is buried there, as are his successor Umberto I and Queen Margherita. Their monumental tombs add a nineteenth-century national chapter to a building already layered with Roman and Christian history.
Visitors often notice the monumental tombs around the rotunda but may not recognize how they connect the ancient temple with the creation of modern Italy.
Circle the entire interior slowly. The royal tombs are large, but their historical meaning is clearer if you know that the unified Kingdom of Italy began only in the nineteenth century.
The Pantheon serves as a resting place for both Renaissance genius and the royal history of unified Italy.
What to Notice
- Raphael’s memorialNotice the relatively intimate scale of the artist’s memorial.
- The royal tombsCompare their grander scale with Raphael’s tomb.
- Different eras, different stylesLook at the lettering and decoration: each memorial adds a later chapter to the ancient space.
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Frequently Asked Questions About the Pantheon
Which Italian king is buried in the Pantheon?
Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of unified Italy, is buried there.
Is King Umberto I buried there?
Yes. Umberto I and his wife, Queen Margherita, have tombs in the Pantheon.
Is Queen Margherita buried in the Pantheon?
Yes. Queen Margherita, the wife of Umberto I, is buried with him in the Pantheon.
Is Raphael the only artist buried there?
No. Other artists are buried or commemorated there, but Raphael is by far the most famous.
Why are Italian royals buried in an ancient Roman building?
The Pantheon’s prestige and location in Rome made it a powerful national monument after Italian unification.
Are the tombs ancient Roman?
No. Raphael’s tomb is Renaissance, while the royal tombs date from modern Italy.