My whole life I have been moved by buildings. Something about the way they can dominate a view and extract an emotional response, either good or bad, from deep within our souls has compelled me to study them.  The Pantheon has been featured in architecture courses and art history seminars. Throughout my long and ongoing education, I’ve always been drawn to it, not just because it’s one of the best-preserved ancient Roman buildings, but because its name in Greek literally means “every god.” After so many religious wars, exclusion, and turmoil because of differing beliefs, for me this concept seems peaceful, nurturing, and inviting to all.
After viewing the structure in books and projected in dimly-lit classroom auditoriums, I thought I fully understood it. After years of “Pantheon-hype” I finally stumbled upon it on a busy Sunday in Rome and was completely awestruck. My loud and busy mind fell to absolute silence, despite hundreds of noisy tourists all around me. It is such an astonishing feat when we can truly just see without our inner monologue commenting. It is a peaceful sensation. As I stare up the biggest Corinthian columns I have ever seen with my own eyes, I don’t even feel small. In fact, I feel quite grand, for I have made it to one of the destinations on my life’s journey.
I thought when I saw it, I would immediately go through the catalog of architectural facts in my scholar’s brain, but instead my mind became a sponge and I was only absorbing what I saw. As I floated on my cloud of happiness inside and around the building with my jaw permanently dropped, scanning every detail, I heard nothing. A peacefulness washed over me and I feel as if I transcended my previous self.
What I experienced in the Pantheon still confounds me. I think it might have just been a reaction to witnessing a really amazing piece of architecture, or the release of something I had built up in my mind for years. Regardless of what I experienced, my takeaway is this: there is seeing something and there is feeling something. When you are someplace spectacular, try seeing less with your eyes and more with your soul. For when you leave that place, what you did see will stay imprinted on your soul and that impression is eternal.
-Emily S. Koelle

Views of the front facade and columns of the Pantheon (Shot with Fujifilm Instax Mini 8 Camera)