LE PANTHON WHAT IS A PANTHEON v A

LE PANTHÉON

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

SOME HISTORY v 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. v After he recovered, he entrusted the Marquis of Marigny with the task of building the church, which was to replace the 6 th century basilica, at the time known as the Abbey Sainte -Geneviève. v In 1755, the Marquis commissioned Pantheon, Paris architect Jacques- Germain Soufflot to design a new, great church.

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

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