New €2 entrance fee for Rome's Pantheon from May 2018.

Visitors to Rome's Pantheon will have to pay a €2 entry fee from 2 May 2018, according to an announcement by Italy's culture minister Dario Franceschini on 11 December.

The fee, which has been mooted for the last two years, follows an agreement reached between the Italian culture ministry and the capital's diocesan authorities.

As a place of worship, visiting the Pantheon is currently free in line with the custom of the Rome vicariate which does not charge entry fees for churches.

Under the new arrangement tourist visits will be suspended during religious services which will not incur an entry fee.

Part of the funds raised from ticket sales will go towards maintenance and management costs of the ancient monument which attracted 7.4 million visitors last year.