Description of the attraction
The Pantheon, the national mausoleum of prominent French citizens, is located in the Latin Quarter. Once there was an old church of the Abbey of Saint Genevieve, but by the middle of the 18th century it fell into disrepair. Gravely ill, Louis XV made a vow - if he recovers, he will restore the temple.
In 1764, the recovered monarch laid the foundation stone of the new church with his own hands. The project involved the construction of a building resembling ancient temples. In plan, it was a Greek cross, covered in the center with a huge dome (23 meters in diameter). The dome was supported by light columns. Even before the completion of construction, however, a miscalculation came to light: the light columns were not strong enough, they had to be strengthened.
The building was completed in 1789, on the eve of the revolution. The new authorities, hostile to religion, called it the Pantheon and dedicated it to the great people of France. The ashes of Voltaire, Rousseau, Marat were buried here. A few years later, Marat's ashes were taken out.
Under Napoleon, the status of the church was returned to the temple, but in its crypt they continued to bury those who were famous for their talents or heroic deeds. After the Restoration, the church was richly decorated - at this time, painted ceilings appeared with paintings of French history, starting with Charlemagne. One of the paintings was planned to be dedicated to Bonaparte, but the times were not right, and the artist, Baron Gros, diplomatically depicted the return of the Bourbons - Louis XVI with his wife and son on the clouds.
After the revolution of 1830, the church finally became the national Pantheon. In 1851, physicist Foucault performed here a classic experiment with a pendulum under a vault, clearly demonstrating the rotation of the Earth.
The ashes of many outstanding people lie in the Pantheon: Victor Hugo, the Curies, Louis Braille, Emile Zola, Jean Jaures.
Now the Pantheon is holding a grand nationwide campaign to attract donations for the restoration of the building. Any French citizen has the right to make a contribution and receive a tax deduction. The donor also receives, depending on the size of the contribution, a special status - from "companion of glory" to "friend and patron of the Pantheon."
On a note
- Location: 28 Place du Panthéon, Paris
- Nearest metro station: "Cardinal Lemoine" line M10
- Official website:
- Opening hours: daily, except January 1, May 1 and December 25, from April 1 to September 30 - from 10.00 to 18.30, from October 1 to March 31 - from 10.00 to 18.00. Entry closes 45 minutes before closing time.
- Tickets: adults - 8 euros, children under 17 - free.
