The history of Le Panthéon goes way back to King Louis XV, who dedicated it to saint Genevieve, the Patron Saint of Paris, after he was hit by a mysterious disease. A miracle happened to the King, his disease left him and he got better and better. King Louis kept his word and hired Jacques-Germain Soufflot to build his master piece which was started in 1764, but unfortunately Soufflot died before the building was complete. Soufflot’s Pupil named Guillaume Rondelet continued the project after Soufflot died. It was finally finished in 1790, 10 years later after Jacques died. King Louis XV wanted the building to stay as a church, but after the French Revolution, it was turned into a burial site. The word Panthéon in the French language means “every god”.
When you see Le Panthéon,You will be impressed by is huge size. Is height is 83 meters, or 279 feet tall, its width is 82 meters, is length is 130 meters long. Le Panthéon is opened year round from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm but closed on January 1, May1, and December 25, so choose the day wisely. You can go inside and check it out, but of course you have to pay a fee before you can even step foot inside. The fee is 7.50 Euros for adults, 4.80 Euros for 18 to 25 years old. If you are under 18, than lucky for you, you don’t have to pay anything because it’s free for you. Once you head inside, you will be surprised by the history and many wonderful artifacts and tombs inside.
Inside is really big and spacious and the first thing you will probably see inside is the Foucault pendulum made by Jean Bernard Léon Foucault. You can get close to it, but you have to have a guide tour so that you can actually get up close to see it better. It is this that Jean Bernard used to prove that the earth spins around its axis. You can see actually see the pendulum in action if you wait long enough. You will see
