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 La
Tour Eiffel
Le
Panthéon
Arc de Triomphe
Le
Sacré Coeur
La
Sainte Chapelle
Notre
Dame
Le Panthéon
History
Louis XV vowed in 1744 that
if he recoverd from an illness he would replace the ruined church
of St-Genèvieve Abbey with an edifice to the glory of the
patron aint of Paris: St-Genèvieve. The Marquis of Marigny
was entrusted with the fulfillment of the vow after the king regained
his health. The protégé of Marigny - Soufflot - was
charged with the plans. Thus began the construction of the Panthéon.
Situated on the Montagne St-Genèvieve, it had a commanding
view of the city. The overall design was that of a Greek cross with
a massive portico of corinthian columns. Its ambitious lines called
for a vast buidling 110 metres long by 84 metres wide, and 83 metres
high. No less vast was its crypt. The foundations were laid in 1758,
but due to financial difficulties,it was only completed after Soufflot's
death (1780) by his student, Rondelet, in 1789. No sooner completed,
than the Revolutionaly government changed its mission from that
of a church to that of a mausoleum for the remains of great Frenchmen.
Twice since then it has reverted to being a church, only to become
again a temple to the great men of France. Among those buried in
its necropolis are Voltaire, Rousseau, Mirabeau, Marat, Victor Hugo,
Emile Zola, and Soufflot its architect.
The remains of Jean Moulin - hero of the French Resistence during
the Second World War - were moved here by Charles de Gaulle.
Practical Info :
 Cardinal
Lemoine
RER: Luxembourg
Address:
Place du Panthéon
75005 Paris
Tél. : 01.44.32.18.00
Open: Winter: 10 a.m.-5.30 p.m. - Summer: 9.30 a.m.-6.30 p.m.
Standard : 35,00 FF
Special rates : 23,00 FF
5,34 and 3,51 euros
Closed: Bank holidays
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