Catholic Dictionary

Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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PANTHEON

All the gods of a polytheistic people. Also a temple dedicated to all gods, or at least the principal deities of a nation. The Roman Pantheon was built by Agrippa in 27 B.C., rebuilt by Hadrian in the second century A.D., and converted in 609 into a Christian church. The Panthéon in Paris, originally the church of St. Geneviéve, was taken over during the French Revolution as a memorial temple of unbelief; after exchanging hands several times, it finally became what it is now, a national monument and mausoleum for illustrious Frenchmen. (Etym. Greek pantheion, temple consecrated to all gods.)