Pantheon

Located at the peak of the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève in the 5th district of Paris, the Panthéon was, initially, a church consecrated to Sainte-Geneviève. The church was built by the command of Louis XV to host the reliquary of the saint, who is also the patron of the 'Ville de Paris'. This Neoclassical style basilica became the Pantheon of Paris during the Revolution, honoring the biggest men of the Nation. Through this 83 meters height masterwork, shaped as a Greek cross, the architect Soufflot wanted to compete with the Saint-Pierre Church of Rome and the Saint-Paul Cathedral in London. He gathered inspiration from the antique architecture, notably the Roman Agrippa's Pantheon with its 32 columns sustaining an imposing dome and a triangular pediment ornamented with sculptures. After the French Revolution, France payed tribute to the grand personalities that shaped its history. Thus, on its pediment it is engraved with gold letters 'Aux grands Hommes, la Patrie reconnaissante' ('To the big personages, the grateful fatherland'). Among the 71 celebrated Frenchmen who are buried in the crypt we find writers and scientists as well as politicians and revolutionaries of the likes of Voltaire; Jean-Jacques Rousseau; Victor Hugo; Pierre and Marie Curie; Émile Zola; Jean Moulin; André Malraux... Overhanging at the centre of the nave, we observe the famous pendulum of Foucault. The basilica is at the core of the Latin district, not far from the Notre-Dame Cathedral. The big and beautiful axis of the Soufflot street descends into the Luxembourg Gardens. Aboard of the Pariscityvision.com bus you will appreciate the Panthéon, one of the famous Paris landmarks, during the tours Paris Historique and Notre Dame + Paris Seinorama or Paris Historique and Notre Dame.