Le Panthéon

What is a pantheon? A panthéon is a temple, like the panthéon in Rome, in which Le Panthéon was modeled after. For the French, the Panthéon is a sort of funeral “Hall of Fame”, housing the tombs of some of France’s greatest heroes. Some of the most famous buried here are Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Jean Monnet, Marie and Pierre Curie and Emile Zola.

Some History When King Louis XV suffered from a serious illness in 1744 he vowed to build a church dedicated to Sainte-Geneviève if he would survive. After he recovered, he entrusted the Marquis of Marigny with the task of building the church, which was to replace the 6th century basilica, at the time known as the Abbey Sainte-Geneviève. In 1755, the Marquis commissioned Pantheon, Paris architect Jacques- Germain Soufflot to design a new, great church.

The Panthéon looks out over all of Paris. It was first built as a church; then it was turned into a panthéon. It was turned back into a church, then back into a panthéon again. In 1995, the ashes of scientist Marie Curie were buried there.

Facts about the pantheon It was constructed between the years 1757 and 1791. It’s 110 meters long, 85 meters wide and 272ft high. The Pantheon is built of stone and marble. It was developed under the orders of King Louis XV. The Pantheon's architects were Jacques-Germain Soufflot and Guillaume Rondelet. The experiment with Foucault's pendulum was held at the Pantheon in 1851. 10. The Pantheon is a popular Paris tourist attraction.