Pantheon

The final resting place for the great citizens of France, the Pantheon was not originally built for this purpose. Louis XV ordered the building of a church to replace nearby St-Etienne-du-Mont as the new home to the relics of Ste-Genevieve, who became the patron saint of Paris when her constant praying in 451 supposedly made Attila the Hun change his plans to invade the city in the last minute. Construction began in 1755, with Soufflot's design for a Greek cross plan supporting a dome on a scale never seen before--a soaring masterpiece of technical achievement and visual harmony. However; his engineering really sucked and the perfect building has been trying desperately to fall apart ever since. The original windows had to be filled in, interior columns braced, the dome restructured; and in 1985 falling stones forced a temporary closure. The structure was finished in 1790, just in time for ... the revolution. It has since alternated as a church and a nondenominational burial ground until the funeral procession of Victor Hugo ended up in the crypt, cementing its status as a final resting place for the great French citizens. Rousseau and Voltaire are interred near each other (most probably to the great annoyance of Voltaire). Writer Emile Zola and Nazi victim Jean Moulin are also buried here. The heart - yep, the heart! - of Leon Gambetta (a leader of the Paris Commune) lies quietly in a vase. Also here are the remains of Louis Braille, except for his all-too-important hands which remain in his parish churchyard.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Pantheon
• Paris
• France
• History
• Revolution
• Voltaire
• Rousseau
• Soufflot

[JayBellBooks]

Lovely video! Im embarrassed to admit it, but I didnt know Paris had a Pantheon of its own. Its interesting how these buildings change their purpose over time, just as the Roman Pantheon went from Pagan to Catholic and the one in Paris went from religious to secular. The buildings remain the same, but their souls change as history marches on. I wonder what purpose they will be put to in the future.

[Hephaestion123]

Thank you so much for watching and also for your thoughtful comment. You've made a great point about how so many of these historical buildings change their purpose over the centuries. I always try to visit Pantheon when I'm in Paris, to pay homage to Voltaire I suppose, and also Pere Lachaise for Jim Morrison.... :-)

[last4ever2020]

Le Panthéon est un Grand monument de l'histoire française. Jaime la musique et trés joilis montage les photos. good job Hephaestion123.

[Hephaestion123]

Thank you so much for watching and for your kind comment. So glad you liked it, mon ami.

[ARCHEON3]

Love this video. And love this building. The rendition you chose of La Marseillaise was perfect. Solemn.

My "second" favorite building housing a Foucault pendulum is the Griffith Park Observatory in Los Angeles.

[Hephaestion123]

Thank you so much for watching and also for the comment. I am glad you liked this rendition of the Marseillaise.

[Hephaestion123]

Oh, and Eros, Thank you so much for making this video a favorite on your page as well.... You are too kind to me.

I hope you've had a great weekend, my friend.

[Hephaestion123]

Thank you for watching and for your comment. I can't agree with you more. I have always been a devotee of Voltaire. His wit, his defense of civil liberties and freedom of religion, his support for social reform, and finally taking on the Catholic church head on to fight superstition and dogma when this was not very wise or safe, have, in my opinion, turned him into a champion of modernity and progressive thinking.... Enlightenment personified.

[Hephaestion123]

Thank you for watching and for the comment, Eros. You know there's an interesting story behind the Foucault pendulum. It was conceived as an experiment to show the rotation of Earth in 1851. The direction along which the pendulum swings rotates with time because of Earth's daily rotation. During his experiment, the plane of the pendulum's swing rotated clockwise 11° per hour, making a full circle in 32.7hrs, causing quite a sensation! It was the first dynamic proof for Earth's rotation.

[EROSGODOFGAYS]

It is strange that in many instances the grandeur of the architectural package exceeds the worthiness of the subject matter housed within. Such speaks well for the talent and artistry of the architect, but makes one wonder why mankind commits such beauty to a box for the mediocre. Poor Voltaire looks so bored watching the gravitational pendulum clock. Far better to serve as a tomb for Napoleon Bonaparte ... with a throne instead of a clock!