Santa Maria ad Martyres, also known as the Pantheon, is a 2nd century Roman temple that was consecrated as a church in the early 7th century. The dedication is to the Virgin Mary and all the martyrs.
In the middle of the 7th century, the gilded bronze tiles on the roof of the pantheon were plundered by the Byzantine emperor Constans II (r. 641-68). The tiles were later replaced by sheets of lead.
Almost a thousand years later, Pope Urban VIII (r. 1623-44) added a pair of bell towers (wrongly attributed to Bernini), which came to be known as the "asses' ears". They were removed in 1883.
The high altar and the apse were rebuilt by Pope Clement XI (r. 1700-1721). The altar was designed by Alessandro Specchi. The apse painting, Glory of all the Saints, was painted in 1544 by Giovanni Guerra. The choir stalls were added in 1840, and were designed by Luigi Poletti. In May 2018, a new gilded bronze high altar was consecrated. The sculptor is Federico Severino, who also created the Stations of the Cross and the ambo.
To be continued...
A 19th century photograph of the Pantheon with its two 17th century bell towers.