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The early 19th century had a predilection for the Roman Pantheon as a model for church building. The combination of a rotunda and a temple façade managed to satisfy the desire for both stereometric clarity and classical grandeur. Moreover, with its monumental look it was excellent for including in showpiece public urban planning settings. The classical temple front also served as a model for longitudinal buildings. The cathedral of Schio near Vicenza, constructed dramatically on a podium by Antonio Diedo from 1805, also reveals the influence of the Pantheon, whose Baroque towers flanking the pediments (removed only in 1883) were faithfully copied. The portico in Schio, enclosed at the sides by arches, is a borrowing from Palladio, whose tempietto on the Villa Maser not far away was similarly furnished with towers. However, the frieze running behind the columns is a typically Neoclassical feature.
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