Pantheon, Paris

The Pantheon, a neoclassic building inspired by the   Pantheon in Rome,  is the final resting place of many of France's national heroes.

The Panthéon, in the Latin quartier of Paris, was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve to house the casket containing her relics.

However, after many changes, it is now a secular mausoleum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens. It's an early example of neo-classicism, with a facade modelled on the Pantheon in Rome, surmounted by a dome that owes a lot of its character to Bramante's "Tempietto", the early 16th-Century dome of  San Pietro in Montorio, Rome.

Originally intended to replace the ruins of the  Eglise Sainte-Geneviève, it was adopted, soon after completion, as a mausoleum for great French people and this remains its function today.

Only the most important figures in French culture and society are interred here. The list includes Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Louis Braille, Alexandre Dumas, as well as  the architect of this monument:  Jacques-Germain Soufflot.

Pantheon, Paris
Pantheon, Paris

Opening Hours

Monday:
10:00 - 18:30
Tuesday:
10:00 - 18:30
Wednesday:
10:00 - 18:30
Thursday:
10:00 - 18:30
Friday:
10:00 - 18:30
Saturday:
10:00 - 18:30
Sunday:
10:00 - 18:30
Back to top