This church stands in the place where St Eustachius with his wife Theopista, and his sons Agapitus and Theopistus, were put into a brazen bull and martyred by the brazen heart of Trajan, whom Eustachius had served twice as general of his armies, and gained him as many victories.
From hence I went to the Rotonda, otherwise called anciently the Pantheon because it was dedicated to all Gods. This is a bolder piece of Architecture than Men think. For whereas other vaults are strengthened and made good by being shut up close at the top, and in the Center of the vault, which hinders the vault from shrinking; here this great massive vault is left wide open at the top, with a hole above three yards wide in diameter. Indeed Sebastianus Serlius, an experienced Man in Fabrics, thinks this Church to be the unique example of perfect Architecture; and Pliny in his time placed it among the rarest Works that were then extant. It hath no window in it, nor any othe light, but what comes in at the wide hole mentioned above. Anciently it was covered with brazen Tiles, and those gilt too, as Lipsius thinks; but now it’s covered with great flat stones. It’s a Hundred and forty foot high, and as many broad: and yet it hath no pillars to bear up that great roof. Indeed it hath thrust all the Pillars out of doors, and makes them wait in the porch; where there are thirteen great pillars all of one piece, each one 53 foot high, and six in Diameter, all of a granite or speckled marble. The Capitelli of these Pillars are the best in Rome, of Corinthian order.
