Paris, Pantheon: the history of the monument

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Paris enjoys a special love among tourists from all over the world visiting France. The Pantheon, a historical monument located in this city, is distinguished not only by its rich history, but also by the beauty of its architectural forms. The construction is essentially a tomb in which the remains of the most famous historical figures of the country are buried. The Pantheon was built during the French Revolution. At one time the building of the mausoleum was the Cathedral of St. Genevieve.

Currently, this memorial complex is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Paris. Travelers are attracted not only by the history of the buried noble citizens, but also by the majestic architecture of the building. In appearance, one can note the eclecticism of several styles; it is impossible to unambiguously attribute the building to a specific architectural direction. At the time when the cathedral was functioning in the Pantheon, historical sources report a sharpaversion by the townspeople of the appearance of the building. However, the Parisians are famous for their ambiguous attitude to innovations in architectural forms. Suffice it to recall the history of the Eiffel Tower.

The Pantheon (Paris) looks majestic. His photo is used for many posters and postcards. It is located in the fifth district, close to the city center. At the entrance to the complex, tourists are greeted by an inscription that reads "From a grateful Motherland to worthy people." There are always numerous tourists from all over the world. The Pantheon acquires a particularly interesting appearance with the onset of sunset, at which time a special backlight turns on.

Church of Saint Genevieve

Everyone is interested in the question: "In what year was the Pantheon founded in Paris?" Its history goes back to the 18th century, when King Louis XV of France, before the decisive battles, suddenly fell ill and was about to expire, but after the prayers of St. Genevieve suddenly felt much better and was soon healed. The king swore that if Genevieve restored his he alth, he would undertake to build a large church in the name of the saint. True, after the king regained he alth, he forgot about the promise made to heaven and remembered it only after a long time.

In the 12th year after the cure of the king, the construction of the temple was started under the guidance of the famous architect Soufflet in those days. Thus, another attraction found Paris. The Pantheon is a beautiful building that delights every tourist.

Construction of the Cathedral

Project underthe authorship of a famous architect led the monarch and the inhabitants of the city into bewilderment. For that era, the architectural direction of the Baroque was characteristic, distinguished by the richness of decorations and the luxury of forms. The architect Soufflot used his own approach - the original eclecticism of four different directions: Greek, Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque.

The Catholic Church strongly opposed the proposed project due to the fact that the shape of the temple partly resembled a Byzantine cross. Soufflet had to make changes to the appearance of the structure. This is how the Pantheon in Paris took shape. The description of the building indicates that this is not just a temple, but a tomb for the great people of France.

In the future, as the construction proceeded, the architect constantly had to face numerous difficulties and lack of funding. The financial difficulties of the king led to the fact that it was necessary to reduce the cost of the project, abandoning some architectural elements. As a result, the construction was delayed, and neither the king nor the famous architect lived to see its completion. His assistants had to complete the construction.

Further history of the Pantheon

The building did not last long as a cathedral. With the beginning of the French Revolution, many churches of the country suffered a sad fate: they were ruined and closed. Church of St. Genevieve miraculously escaped a similar fate. For this, the building from the church was transformed into the Pantheon - the tomb of the heroes of the country. Over the course of its subsequent history, the building passed several times from revolutionaries toto the royal court and back and changed its name. In the end, the building was given the name Pantheon.

Current State

Currently, many tourists are attracted to Paris. The Pantheon is a memorial complex, a tomb in which the remains of famous Frenchmen and honorary friends of the country are kept. So, for example, the famous Italian painter Raphael is buried here. Many famous personalities are still waiting in the wings to be reburied in such a famous place, for example:

• Napoleon Bonaparte;
• Count Mirabeau;
• Voltaire;
• Russo.

If you visit Paris, the Pantheon deserves to be the first place you go.