The Pantheon in Rome may become a ticketed tourist attraction by 2018, Dario Franceschini, the Italian minister of cultural heritage and tourism, announced this week. The ancient monument, which welcomed around 7 million visitors in 2016, is the most-visited archaeological site in Rome and has hitherto offered free entrance. The ministry says that the entry charge will be modest and will help to maintain the site. Twenty percent of the revenue from ticket sales will be used to streamline the management of Rome’s various museums, palazzos and state-run museums.
Because the Pantheon is considered a place of worship—it was built by the general and architect Marcus Agrippa in 27 BC as a temple to worship the gods, and converted to a Christian church by Pope Boniface IV in 609—the ministry’s proposal must be approved by Rome’s diocesan authorities. They are expected to reach a verdict by the end of the current parliamentary term in February 2018.