Grave of Fourier, Grave in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, France

The grave of Joseph Fourier is a tall stone monument in the Père-Lachaise cemetery, at the entrance to the 18th division near a roundabout. A rectangular pedestal holds a recessed niche with a white bust above a dark block inscribed JOSEPH FOURIER, 1768 and 1830. Carved leafy details mark the corners of the stepped base, and a tall stone tower stands beside it.

Joseph Fourier, a noted French mathematician and physicist, died in 1830 and was laid to rest in this cemetery in Paris. His grave has since been visited by generations of admirers, and the monument has undergone changes over the years, including the replacement of an earlier statue by a nearby stone tower.

The grave lies at the entrance to the 18th division of Père-Lachaise, near a roundabout, and visitors find it easily thanks to online comments. The inscription is hard to decipher and the tomb leans slightly. A tall stone tower beside it recently replaced an earlier statue, and a sculpted head seen there before 2024 has since disappeared.

The site is easy to reach on foot and sits near the entrance of the cemetery’s 18th division, close to a roundabout. The inscription on the stone can be hard to read, so visitors should step closer and allow their eyes to adjust to the shadows cast by the surrounding bushes.

A curious detail catches the eye of regular visitors: a review from 2024 mentions that a sculpted head once stood here but then disappeared. Today, the bust you see sits inside the niche, while a tall stone tower rises nearby, showing how the monument’s appearance has shifted more than once in recent decades.