6 Facts You Didn’t Know About the Panthéon in Paris
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Standing tall at the heart of the Latin Quarter in Paris, the Panthéon is an architectural marvel that houses the remains of some of France’s most revered figures. But here are six little-known facts about the Parisian monument.
A staple in Paris’ skyline, the Panthéon was built in the mid-18th century at the summit of the Sainte-Geneviève mountain in what is now the 5th arrondissement of the French capital. It is a mausoleum of neo-classical construction but was originally designed as a church. The project was overseen by a young architect, Jacques-Germain Soufflot, who hoped to emulate and surpass the impressive Saint-Peter’s cathedral in Rome and London’s Saint-Paul’s cathedral. He sadly died before construction of Sainte-Geneviève – renamed Panthéon, later, after the French Revolution – was completed.
Today, it has become a temple of French grandeur and serves as the final resting place of famous French figures.
1. Funded by a lottery
In 1744, Louis XV fell seriously ill in Metz, during the Austrian succession war, and invoked the protection of Saint Geneviève, patroness of Paris. Miraculously recovered, the king made a pilgrimage to the abbey located on the Sainte-Geneviève mountain in the capital. He promised the monks to rebuild their very old church. The state coffers were, however, empty. How to finance such a big project? Why, with a huge, royal lottery!
2. The tallest building in Paris
From 1790 to 1889 (when the Eiffel Tower was built) the Panthéon was the highest point in Paris!
4. Dual function
Throughout the 19th century, the Panthéon oscillated between two functions: Church then Pantheon. Over the course of changes in political regime, the function of the building has evolved no fewer than six times. It was not until the funeral of Victor Hugo, in 1885, under the Third Republic, that the monument definitively retained its role as a Pantheon.
5. Presidential salute
In 1894, Sadi Carnot entered the Panthéon after his assassination perpetrated by an anarchist. He is, to date, the only President of the Republic to lay in the Panthéon.
6. Mesdames aussi!
In 1995, the President decided to admit double Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie and her husband Pierre Curie into the Panthéon. This is how she became the first woman to enter the Panthéon on her own merits. Indeed, Sophie Berthelot was already at the Panthéon to rest with her husband because both spouses died on the same day, March 18, 1907, and did not want to be separated.
Don’t miss: Paralympic Histories
The latest exhibition to be held within the walls of the Panthéon honours the Paralympic Games. Appearing in the middle of the 20th century, the Paralympic Games experienced significant growth and changed the perception of people with disabilities.
The exhibition highlights those who, through their role within the Paralympic movement, have been able to write history based on pride in difference and the demand for a more inclusive society.
By combining archives, posters, photographs, sports equipment, objects and audiovisual documents, the exhibition highlights, on the one hand, the process of progressive integration of athletes with a diversity of disabilities and, on the other hand, the mutation of discourses, images and materials associated with competitive practices.
Until September 29, ticket included in the entry price for the monument.
For more information on the exhibition, visit www.paris-pantheon.fr
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