Pantheon hosts International Organ Festival through 30 October
Published on 10/04/2026 at 07:25 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
The Pantheon in Rome is hosting the International Organ Festival from 11 September to 30 October 2026. The basilica, also known as Santa Maria ad Martyres, is the venue for a series centred on the Tamburini organ, which was built in 1926.
The festival gives visitors a current reason to enter one of Rome's best-preserved ancient buildings while its religious function remains visible. October concerts continue inside the basilica before the programme ends on 30 October 2026.
International Organ Festival continues at the Pantheon in October
The 2026 festival is the sixth edition and is promoted by the Basilica of Santa Maria ad Martyres and the Chapter of Canons. The published programme runs from Friday 11 September to Friday 30 October 2026 at the church on Piazza della Rotonda.
The series marks the centenary of the Tamburini organ. The instrument was made in 1926 for the basilica, and the festival page says it has undergone restoration and enhancement work that preserved its original characteristics. A concert on 25 September was dedicated to the centenary, while the closing concert on 30 October will be performed by Juraj Kremen with music by Bach, Mendelssohn and Franck. Festival dates and venue
The Pantheon's 43.30-metre dome frames a centenary organ
The present building was reconstructed during Emperor Hadrian's reign between 118 and 125 AD. Its cylindrical rotunda has walls more than 6 metres thick, while the unreinforced concrete dome has a diameter of 43.30 metres, equal to its height.
That scale gives the organ series a precise architectural setting. The Tamburini instrument belongs to the later history of the basilica, while the concerts take place beneath a Roman dome whose current form dates from the second century. The building was transformed into a church in 609 AD, a change that helped preserve it through later centuries. official Pantheon history
Rome concerts connect the basilica's living role with its ancient shell
The venue is not only an archaeological monument. It is the Basilica of Santa Maria ad Martyres, and the festival is presented as part of the basilica's pastoral activities as well as a concert programme.
The connection is especially clear in 2026: the organ's centenary is being observed inside a church created from an ancient Roman building. The result is a programme tied to both the instrument and the place that houses it, rather than a concert series using the Pantheon merely as a backdrop.
Visiting Pantheon: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The International Organ Festival runs at the Pantheon from 11 September to 30 October 2026, with the closing concert on 30 October.
- The concerts take place inside the Basilica of Santa Maria ad Martyres on Piazza della Rotonda. The organiser states that all concerts have free admission.
- The Pantheon is in central Rome, at Piazza della Rotonda. The official visitor information identifies the site as the Pantheon and Basilica of Santa Maria ad Martyres.
- The building is a functioning basilica. Visitors must observe appropriate dress and quiet behaviour, and access can be reserved for worshippers during religious services.
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Frequently asked questions about Pantheon
When does the International Organ Festival take place at Pantheon?
The 2026 festival runs from 11 September to 30 October 2026, with the closing concert on 30 October 2026.
What is Pantheon?
Pantheon is an ancient Roman building reconstructed under Hadrian between 118 and 125 AD and used as the Basilica of Santa Maria ad Martyres since 609 AD.
Where is Pantheon and how do you get there?
Pantheon is on Piazza della Rotonda in central Rome. The venue is identified by the official visitor information as the Pantheon and Basilica of Santa Maria ad Martyres.
