Pantheons

Richard Wrigley, Matthew Craske

The institution of the pantheon has come a long way from its classical origins. Invented to describe a temple dedicated to many deities, the term later became so far removed from its original meaning, that by the twentieth century, it has been able to exist independently of any architectural and sculptural monument. This collection of essays is the first to trace the transformation of the monumental idea of the pantheon from its origins in Greek and Roman antiquity to its later appearance as a means of commemorating and enshrining the ideals of national identity and statehood. Illuminating the emergence of the pantheon in a range of different cultures and periods by exploring its different manifestations and implementations, the essays open new historical perspectives on the formation of national and civic identities.

Contents: Preface; Introduction; From the pantheon of the gods to the Pantheon of Rome, Edmund Thomas; From the pantheon of artists to the pantheon of illustrious men: Raphael's tomb and its legacy, Susanna Pasquali; Westminster Abbey 1720-70: a public pantheon built upon private interest, Matthew Craske; The British military pantheon in St Paul's Cathedral: the State, cultural patriotism, and the politics of national monuments, c.1790-1820, Holger Hoock; Popular and imaginary pantheons in early 19th-century England, Alison Yarrington; Pantheons in 18th-century France: temple, museum, pyramid, Dominique Poulot; Madame Tussaud's as a popular pantheon, Uta Kornmeier; Tales from the crypt/a Surrealist pantheon, Simon Baker; 'The granite of the ancient North': race, nation and empire at Cecil Rhodes's mountain mausoleum and Rhodes House, Oxford, Donal Lowry; Rise and fall of the Soviet pantheon, Brandon Taylor; Index.