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Subjects · Leaving Cert Classical Studies

Leaving Cert Classical Studies: Pantheon

How often Pantheon comes up on the Classical Studies papers, every year it was asked, and questions to try.

HL Asked on 2 of the last 3 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years

OL Asked on 2 of the last 3 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years

Pantheon, Higher Level(7 marks)

Quick ones on Pantheon.

(a)Why is the Pantheon dome's concrete lighter towards the top?
  1. The builders ran short of marble near the top
  2. To reduce the weight pressing on the lower walls
  3. To let rainwater drain away through the dome
(b)Why has the Pantheon survived so well?
  1. It was rebuilt by Mussolini
  2. It was buried by Vesuvius
  3. It became a church in AD 609
(c)Whose name is in the Pantheon's inscription, though Hadrian rebuilt it?
  1. Agrippa
  2. Trajan
  3. Augustus
Show the answers

(a) To reduce the weight pressing on the lower walls

(b) It became a church in AD 609

(c) Agrippa

Your turn: Higher Level questions on Pantheon.

Higher Level

Asked on 2 of the last 3 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2025Q13
2024Q4
2023Not asked

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More Pantheon questions

Pantheon, 2 marks

About how wide is the Pantheon's dome?

  1. About 14 metres
  2. About 90 metres
  3. About 43 metres
Show the answer

About 43 metres

The diameter of about 43 m equals the height from the floor to the oculus. It was the widest dome in the world for over a thousand years.

Pantheon, 2 marks

Which Renaissance artist is buried in the Pantheon?

  1. Leonardo da Vinci
  2. Raphael
  3. Michelangelo
Show the answer

Raphael

As a church, the Pantheon became a burial place, later also for Italian kings. Its continued use is a key reason it survives.

Ordinary Level

Asked on 2 of the last 3 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2025. most years

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2025Q2
2024Not asked
2023Q16

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More Pantheon questions

Pantheon, 2 marks

What does the name Pantheon mean?

  1. House of Jupiter
  2. Temple of peace
  3. All the gods
Show the answer

All the gods

It was a temple to all the gods. In AD 609 it became a Christian church, which is one reason it survives so well today.

Pantheon, 2 marks

Whose name is written across the front of the Pantheon?

  1. Augustus
  2. Agrippa
  3. Hadrian
Show the answer

Agrippa

Agrippa built the first Pantheon c. 27 BC. Hadrian rebuilt it c. AD 118–125 but kept Agrippa's name in the inscription.

Pantheon, 2 marks

What is the round opening at the top of the Pantheon's dome called?

  1. The oculus
  2. The metope
  3. The apse
Show the answer

The oculus

The oculus, or eye, is about 8–9 m wide and is the only source of natural light. Rain falls in and drains away through holes in the floor.

Other Classical Studies topics

All of Leaving Cert Classical Studies