“[Last week would have been] Marcus Agrippa’s 2078th birthday, if he were still alive. The Roman General served as an aedile, supervisor of public building, during the reign of Augustus Caesar. Becoming an aedile was actually a step down for Agrippa, who had already held the higher office of consul. Yet is was his construction work as aedile that proved his most lasting legacy.
“If you have been to Rome, chances are you have seen this inscription on the façade of the Pantheon with his name:
M.AGRIPPA.L.F.COS.TERTIVM.FECIT
Or, ‘Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius,consul three times, built this.’
“The Pantheon was completed during Agrippa’s time as aedile in 27 B.C., although the present structure was rebuilt during the reign of Hadrian in A.D. 126, with the inscription intact. The temple was dedicated to all the gods – just to make sure that no deity was left out of Roman worship.”
In a recent commentary, Brother Clement Dickie, O.P., offered a reflection on Marcus Agrippa’s achievement – a temple that today serves as a Catholic church, Saint Mary and the Martyrs (also know as Santa Maria Rotonda).
To access Br. Clement’s complete post, please visit:
Dominica: The Accidental Church Builder (23 OCT 13)
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