Pantheon (Greek: παν, pan, "all" + θεόν, theon, "of the gods"), in one sense, refers to all the gods of a particular religion or mythology, such as the gods of Hinduism, Greek mythology, Norse mythology. Since the 16th century the word has also been used in a secular sense, meaning a set of exalted people.
In another sense, it is a name for a temple or sacred building dedicated to all the gods of a particular religion. The this sense, the word is today used mainly to describe three buildings:
The Pantheon in Rome, originally built in the 2nd century as a temple to all the Roman gods, has been used as a Christian church since the 7th century. Its front with columns and its large cupola served as the model for the other Pantheons built beginning with the Renaissance.
