Did you know that buildings, like the Pantheon in Rome, can have eyes? In this video, learn about the oculus, a round opening in architecture that lets in light and sometimes air, acting as an eye for the structure.

The short educational video focuses on the famous oculus in the ancient Roman Pantheon as well as a painted version created for the bedroom (called the Camera Picta) of the powerful 15th-century Duke of Mantua.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Eyes are important to us!

0:25 Buildings can have eyes too: Introducing the Oculus

0:31 What is an Oculus?

0:54 What is an Oculus for?

1:02 The Pantheon in Rome

1:28 Duke Ludovico Gonzaga of Mantua’s painted Oculus

2:18 Borrowing the magnificence of Rome