THE PANTHÉON
Paris’s Panthéon is a fitting final resting place for the nation’s great figures. Originally built as a church at the behest of Louis XV, it was completed in 1790 and was intended to look like the Pantheon in Rome, but more closely resembles St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. During the Revolution it was used as a mausoleum. Napoleon returned it to the Church in 1806 and it became a public building in 1885.
NEED TO KNOW
Place du Panthéon, 75005 • 01 44 32 18 00 • www.paris-pantheon.fr/en • Open Apr–Sep: 10am–6:30pm daily; Oct–Mar: 10am–6pm daily; closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25 • Adm $10, reduced $8 (under 18 & EU under 26 free)
- La Crêperie (12 Rue Soufflot, open 7am–midnight, from 8am Sun) is an ideal pit stop for a crêpe or coffee.
- Keep in mind that ticket sales stop 45 minutes before closing time, so be sure to arrive in plenty of time.
Panthéon Floor Plan
1. Crypt
The crypt is eerily impressive in its scale, compared to most tiny, dark church crypts. Here lie the tombs and memorials of worthy French citizens, including the prolific French writer Emile Zola.
Crypt
2. Frescoes of Sainte Geneviève
Delicate murals by 19th-century artist Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, on the south wall of the nave, tell the story of Sainte Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris. She is believed to have saved the city from invasion in 451 by Attila the Hun and his hordes through the power of her prayers.
3. Façade
The Panthéon’s façade was inspired by Roman architecture. The 22 Corinthian columns support both the portico roof and bas-reliefs.
Façade
4. Dome
Inspired by Sir Christopher Wren’s design for St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, as well as by the Dôme Church at Hôtel des Invalides, this iron-framed dome is made up of three layers. At the top, a narrow opening lets in only a tiny amount of natural light, in keeping with the building’s somber purpose.
Dome
5. Dome Galleries
A staircase leads to the galleries immediately below the dome itself, affording spectacular 360-degree views of Paris. The pillars surrounding the galleries are both decorative and functional, providing essential support for the dome.
6. Monument to Diderot
French philosopher Denis Diderot (1713– 84) is honored by this grand 1925 monument by Alphonse Terroir.
7. Foucault’s Pendulum
In 1851 French physicist Jean Foucault (1819–68) followed up an earlier experiment to prove the earth’s rotation by hanging his famous pendulum from the dome of the Panthéon. The plane of the pendulum’s swing rotated 11 degrees clockwise each hour in relation to the floor, thereby proving Foucault’s theory.
8. Pediment Relief
The bas-relief above the entrance shows a female figure, representing France, handing out laurels to the great men of the nation—the same way that Greeks and Romans honored their heroes.
9. Tomb of Voltaire
A statue of the great writer, wit, and philosopher Voltaire (1694–1788) stands in front of his tomb.
Tomb of Voltaire
10. Tomb of Victor Hugo
The body of the French author was carried to the Panthéon in a pauper’s hearse, at his own request.
LOUIS BRAILLE
One of the most influential citizens buried in the Panthéon is Louis Braille (1809–52). Braille became blind at the age of three. He attended the National Institute for the Young Blind and was a gifted student. He continued at the Institute as a teacher and, in 1829, had the idea of adapting a coding system in use by the army, by turning words and letters into raised dots on card. Reading Braille has transformed the lives of blind people ever since.
