On the top of the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, in the Latin Quarter, the Panthéon is where France honours its great men and women. Its giant dome is one of the landmarks of the Paris skyline.
From church to national temple
King Louis XV commissioned a church dedicated to Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, from the architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot. By the time it was finished, the French Revolution had begun, and in 1791 the building became a mausoleum for the nation’s heroes – *“Aux grands hommes, la patrie reconnaissante”* (“To great men, the grateful homeland”), reads the inscription on the façade.
What to see
The nave
Huge painted panels tell the story of Saint Genevieve and of France, under a vast coffered dome.
Foucault’s pendulum
In 1851, the physicist Léon Foucault hung a pendulum from the dome to prove that the Earth rotates. A copy swings here today.
The crypt
In the vaults below rest Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, Alexandre Dumas, Marie Curie and Joséphine Baker, among others.
The colonnade
In season, you can climb to the colonnade around the dome for a beautiful panorama of Paris – check the official website for dates.
Tips
- Allow an hour for the nave and the crypt, more if you climb the dome.
- Visitors under 26 from the EU get in free.
- Combine with the nearby Luxembourg Gardens and the streets of the Latin Quarter.
