Pagode de Vincennes, Buddhist temple in Bois de Vincennes, France.
The Pagode de Vincennes is a Buddhist temple in the Bois de Vincennes forest, composed of two main buildings with a central structure rising 28 meters (92 feet) high. The entire site covers about 8,000 square meters and houses several structures including a gilded Buddha statue.
The former Cameroon pavilion of the 1931 International Colonial Exposition, designed by Louis-Hippolyte Boileau with Charles Carrière, stands 28 metres high. It was restored and turned into a Buddhist place of worship in 1977, inaugurated on 28 October by Paris mayor Jacques Chirac. A second restoration followed in 2015; the site has been a listed monument since 1975.
The pagoda has no resident monk or superior: since 1977 it has been a common place of worship used in turn by the Buddhist schools of the Paris region. It is the seat of the Union bouddhiste de France, and the Tibetan temple Kagyu-Dzong stands in its grounds. The Thai gift of relics is shown beneath the main statue, and the grounds open mainly around the Vesak festival.
The pagoda is at 40 route de Ceinture-du-Lac-Daumesnil, on the edge of the lac Daumesnil in the Bois de Vincennes, 12th arrondissement, served by the Porte Dorée metro station. It is not open permanently: access follows its activity calendar, notably around the Vesak festival.
The temple preserves authentic relics of the historical Buddha that were brought here in an official ceremony from Bangkok's Wat Saket temple in 2009. These remains make it a special destination for Buddhist pilgrims from around the world.
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