Panthéon – Paris
Located in the 5th arrondissement on the Left Bank of the Seine, the Panthéon dominates the view of Paris from a district known as the Latin Quartiere that includes the Sorbonne and the Collége of France. During the siege of Metz in 1744 and while in poor health, Louis XV planned the replacement of the ruins of the Abbey of St. Genévieve with a church dedicated to the patron saint of Paris. The project was assumed by the Marquis of Marigny, who commissioned his protégé, Jacques-Germaine Soufflot, to design the Pantheon at the top of Montagne Sainte-Genévieve. Foundations were laid for a structure of vast proportions, 360’ long x 275’ wide x 272’ high, in the form of a Greek cross with five domes and a portico of 22 Corinthian columns, resembling to some extent St. Paul’s in London. The austere exterior of this imposing edifice contrasts sharply with the elaborate style of the interior. Soufflot’s original idea to create light within a church was overshadowed in 1791, when 42 of the windows were walled over, converting the structure into a mausoleum of darkness. Completed after Soufflot’s death by his student, Rondelet, the Pantheon was taken over by the Revolutionary government in 1789 to use as a burial place for the great men in French history. Although its original purpose as a church was regained on two occasions, it remains today as a “temple to the Gods,” a massive crypt of statues and tombs. Accessible by a stone staircase, the crypt below houses small cells with locked doors and individual grill windows for viewing. Outside these cells are plaques relating the history of the deceased, and not much else in the way of a memorial.
The inscription Aux Grands Hommes La Patrie Reconnaissante above the entrance of the Pantheon honors the significant contributions made to France by such notable persons as Voltaire, Rousseau, Hugo, Zola, the Curie’s, and Moulin. A relief across the pediment, designed by David d’Anger, depicts many of these national figures, along with Napoleon and his generals. Frescoes of the Assumption of St. Genévieve within the dome and others of Charlemagne, Joan of Arc, and Louis IX by Purvis de Chavannes enhance the walls and ornate interior. At one time, physicist Leon Foucault suspended a pendulum within the dome to demonstrate his theory of the rotation of the earth; the iron sphere from this pendulum was returned to the Pantheon in 1995. The art installation by Beto of a Leviathan Thot (biblical monster) was on display here from September to December 2006, as a part of Paris’ autumn festival.
Since permission for burial in the Pantheon requires an act of Parliament, many famous people have been moved and reburied here many years after their death. An appropriate burial and recognition was not given to Alexandre Dumas, one of the greatest of French writers and author of the Three Musketeers, until 2002, when a ceremonial parade carried his remains to the Pantheon. Further recognition was given by President Chirac in 2007 to the ordinary people of France who saved hundreds of Jews from deportation to concentration games during WWII. The inscription on the plaque states in brief that anonymous men and women risked their lives in defense of honor, tolerance, and justice in protecting so many from persecution by the Nazi regime.
In addition to being a burial place for over 70 great men and women of France, the Pantheon stands as one of the first classical monuments in history and a favorite landmark on the city’s walking tours. Each year it is visited by thousands of tourists and residents, some out of curiosity and still others eager to add it to their list of things to see and do while on vacation in Paris.
Hours: Winter – 10 a.m. to 6:15 p.m., Summer (April to September) – 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Closed bank holidays. Admission: Approximately 5 – 6 Euros.