Panthéon, Neoclassical mausoleum in the Latin Quarter, Paris, France
The Panthéon is a neoclassical mausoleum in the Latin Quarter of Paris with Corinthian columns supporting a dome that rises 83 meters (272 feet) high. Thick stone walls enclose a large central nave and an underground crypt.
King Louis XV commissioned the structure in 1758 as a church for Saint Genevieve, and it became a mausoleum during the French Revolution in 1791. Since then, its function has shifted several times between religious and secular use.
Visitors today walk through the crypt to see where 81 French figures rest, among them scientist Marie Curie and writers Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas. People from around the world come here daily to stand before the tombs of philosophers Voltaire and Rousseau.
The Panthéon stands at the centre of Place du Panthéon, and the long view west runs down rue Soufflot toward the Luxembourg garden. The monument is managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux, and the ground inside its iron railings is part of the protected listing. The crypt lies directly beneath the nave and is reached by stairs from the interior.
Inside hangs Foucault's Pendulum, a scientific instrument that shows the rotation of Earth through its swing over a compass dial on the floor. Visitors watch as the pendulum seems to change direction while the planet turns beneath it.
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