The Pantheon Paris is one of the great landmarks of the French capital, its dome soaring high above the rooftops of the surrounding Latin Quarter.
I recently revisited the Pantheon Latin Quarter and believe it’s one of the best hidden gems in Paris. It’s not exactly hidden in the physical sense, but it’s often overlooked in favour of more popular Paris attractions.
But as you delve deeper into Paris on return trips, it’s somewhere I strongly suggest you seek out. Visiting the Pantheon is a great introduction to French history, and you learn so much about many of its famous figures buried in the crypt. And its dome is one of the very best viewpoints in Paris.
My guide digs into the history of the Paris Pantheon, and gives an overview of the many important French national heroes buried there. I also cover the logistics of getting there, buying your tickets and places to visit near the Pantheon. Enjoy!
Why Visit The Pantheon Paris
The Pantheon of Paris is one of the best places to visit in the city if you have any interest in the history of France since the French Revolution. It’s a fine 18th century Neoclassical building and its dome – which was inspired by that of St Paul’s Cathedral in London – is one of the most prominent features on the Paris skyline.
The Pantheon, built as a church, became a secular national mausoleum commemorating some of the greatest Frenchmen – and, belatedly, Frenchwomen – of the last 250 years.These range from some of its greatest authors, including Voltaire and Victor Hugo, scientists , politicians and Resistance heroes.
Top Tip: The recently restored Pantheon dome also offers exceptional views of Paris, including one of the best views of the Eiffel Tower.
Pantheon Paris History
The building that is now the Pantheon was built between 1758 and 1790, at the instigation of King Louis XV, and designed by Jacques-Germain Soufflot.
The Pantheon is built on a site of great significance in Parisian history. Montaigne Sainte Geneviève was the site of the Abbey of St Geneviève, who became patron saint of Paris because her prayers were believed to have saved the city from attack by the Huns in 452 AD.
An abbey and church were founded by the first King of the Franks, Clovis, and Geneviève regularly prayed there. She was buried there after her death, as was Clovis. The dedication of this Church was eventually changed to St Geneviève.
By the 18th century the church and abbey were in a state of disrepair, so it was decided to build a new church – again dedicated to St Genevieve – on the site. The intention was for relics of St Geneviève to be buried there.
The French Revolution had begun before the church had been completed, and it wasn’t long before it was re-purposed as a secular Temple honouring great Frenchmen.
The first to be interred there was the Comte de Mirabeau, only for his remains to be removed some years later. The two oldest remaining burials in the Pantheon are French writers Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who were buried there in 1791.
Most of the relics of St Geneviève were destroyed in 1793, although it is claimed that some were retrieved – these now rest in the church of Saint Etienne du Mont, across the street from the Pantheon of Paris.
The building reverted to a church in 1806, but burials of renowned French figures continued in the crypt. After the 1830 Revolution, the building was renamed the Pantheon, which it remained until 1852 when, under Louis-Napoleon, it was re-dedicated as a church.
After damage during the Franco-Prussian War (1870) and the Paris Commune (1871), repairs were carried out and the interior of the church decorated with murals and mosaics depicting important scenes from French history.
In 1881 it was decided to return the building to the status of a Mausoleum, and the first person to be buried there after this was author Victor Hugo, who was interred in the crypt in 1885.
What To See In The Pantheon Paris
Pantheon Paris Architecture
The architecture of the Paris Pantheon is Neoclassical. The portico – the pillared front of the building – bears some resemblance to the original Pantheon in Rome, while the spacious interior is partly inspired by St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, albeit with a lighter feel.
The Pantheon dome is very similar to that of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, and like its inspiration, is actually a series of three domes constructed on top of each other.
1. The Pantheon Paris Paintings
The vast spacious walls of the Pantheon Paris interior were decorated with a series of paintings, many of which were completed in the 1870s and 1880s following damage to the building.
They depict a range of events from across French history. One of the earliest is the Martyrdom of St Denis, for me one of the most impressive Pantheon murals, with the decapitated saint picking up his head (a statue in Montmartre also commemorates this event).
Other Pantheon murals are dedicated to prominent figures from French history, including St Genevieve, King Clovis, Charlemagne and Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc).
There area also several notable mosaics in the Pantheon, including Christ Showing The Angel of France The Destiny Of Her People, by Antoine-Auguste-Ernest Hebert, above the former altar.
2. Pantheon Paris Tombs
The tombs in the Pantheon are in the crypt, which you reach via stairs at the east end of the building. The touch-screen system, which is available in several languages, is very easy to follow, so if you want to seek out the tomb of a certain person, it won’t take you long to do so.
Most of the tombs are simple stone memorials, often with just the person’s name and dates of birth and death.
They can be found in numbered rooms within the overall crypt.
3. Who Is Buried In The Pantheon Paris
A total of 81 men and 6 women are commemorated in the Pantheon, though not all the tombs in the Pantheon contain the remains of the person honoured.
A person can only be interred in the Pantheon if he or she is declared a National Hero by the French Parliament.
A total of 41 people were buried in the Pantheon between 1791 and 1815, when Napoleon Bonaparte was finally defeated and exiled. Apart from Voltaire and Rousseau, many of these figures were politicians or military officers from the Revolutionary period and its aftermath.
This early period is disproportionately represented overall, with almost half the commemorations from this period.
One of the most interesting ‘Pantheonised’ Frenchmen from this period was explorer and admiral Louis-Antoine de Bougainville. He founded a French colony in what later became known as the Falkland Islands in 1764, only to sell it to the Spanish on the orders of the French government.
Two years later he led the first French circumnavigation of the globe. His name may be familiar, as the purple bougainvillea shrub is named after him.
The architect of the Paris Pantheon, Jacques-Germain Soufflot, was next to be interred in the building, in 1829.
Victor Hugo was the next person to be interred in the Pantheon, in 1885, and the commemorations gradually resumed thereafter, beginning with four figures from the French Revolution who were re-interred there on its centenary in 1889.
Hugo was eventually to share his corner of the crypt with two other giants of French literature, Emile Zola and Alexandre Dumas.
Most of those honoured in the Pantheon were re-interred there some years after their deaths. Only one, former President Sadi Carnot, was buried there straight after his death. He was assassinated in 1894, five years after the remains of his grandfather, politician Lazare Carnot, were moved there.
Since then, figures from many parts of French society have been commemorated in the Pantheon Paris. Several politicians have been honoured, including Socialists Leon Gambetta and Jean Jaurès, who was assassinated on the eve of the outbreak of what became known as World War I.
A number of Resistance figures from the Second World War are also commemorated, including leader Jean Moulin, Pierre Brossolette, Genevieve de Gaulle-Anthonioz and Germaine Tillon. The remains of the latter two remain in their original graves – their memorials are symbolically filled with soil from their grave sites.
Scientists are also honoured, including Marie Sklodowska-Curie and her husband Pierre Curie, and Jean Baptiste Perrin. In the field of education, Louis Braille, who devised the system to help blind and visually impaired people read, is also honoured.
At the time of writing, the most recent Pantheon commemoration is to Josephine Baker, whose rich life included fame as an exotic dancer, activism in the resistance and later in the field of human rights.
4. Foucault Pendulum
The Pantheon Paris was the site of a scientific demonstration by French physicist Leon Foucault in 1851. He suspended a lead bob from a wire in the dome of the Pantheon to prove that the Earth rotates.
The direction of the swing of the pendulum would gradually change as the Earth moved, and it would eventually complete a full circle.
A replica of Foucault’s Pendulum can still be seen in the Pantheon today. The original was moved to the Musee des Arts et Metiers in the Marais district of Paris, but broke in 2010 when the cable snapped. A replacement has since been installed.
5. Other Pantheon Paris Memorials
Reflecting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe, there is a memorial to the Unknown Heroes and Martyrs Who Died For France. This refers to the First World War, and the two figures represent Memory and Glory.
On the south wall of the chancel part of the Pantheon, there is a memorial to Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the aviator and writer best known for The Little Prince, one of the most popular children’s books of all time.
6. Pantheon Paris Dome
The Pantheon dome is one of the best viewpoints in Paris. The vantage point high above the Latin Quarter offers outstanding views of some of the nearby churches, including Saint Etienne du Mont and, a little further away, the church of Saint Sulpice Paris.
The dome of the Pantheon also commands one of the best Eiffel Tower views, looking over to the Iron Lady a mile or so away, with the golden dome of the Invalides close by.
There is also a superb view north to the brilliant white Sacré Coeur Basilica, the main landmark of Montmartre.
Pantheon Paris Opening Hours
The Pantheon Paris opening times differ a little according to the season.
Between April 1st and September 30th it’s open from 10.00 am to 6.30 pm, with the last entry at 5.45 pm.
Between 1st November and 31st March it is open from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm, with the last entry at 5.15 pm.
Pantheon Paris Tickets
The standard Pantheon Paris ticket price includes entry to the monument and crypt, but not entry to the dome.
An adult ticket to the Pantheon costs €11.50, and you can also book a skip the line ticket to the Pantheon.
The dome ticket costs an extra €3.50. This applies even if you gain entry using the Paris Museum Pass, as I did.
How To Get To The Pantheon Paris
The Pantheon is easy to reach by public transport in Paris.
Four Paris Metro / RER stops are within a five-minute walk of the Pantheon – there is no actual Pantheon Metro stop.
Luxembourg RER (line B) station is a few minutes’ walk down Rue Soufflot, close to the Garden of the same name.
Cardinal Lemoine, on line 10, is also very close to the Pantheon, and is also conveniently located near the top of the hill on which the Pantheon stands.
Maubert-Mutualite is also close by and on line 10, and it’s a few minutes’ uphill walk to the Pantheon.
Place Monge, on Metro line 7, is a little further away (roughly 7 minutes’ walk). It’s a very enjoyable walk from there to the Pantheon through the Latin Quarter, passing the cafes of Place de la Contrescarpe on the way.
The 75 and 89 buses also stop on Rue Soufflot (the stop’s name is Panthéon, pictured).
Things To See Near The Pantheon Paris
The whole of the Latin Quarter (Quartier Latin) and the Boulevard Saint-Germain are within walking distance of the Pantheon in Paris.
The Jardin du Luxembourg, one of the most beautiful parks in Paris, is a five-minute walk down the hill, across the Boulevard Saint-Michel.
The nearest entrance to the Pantheon is very close to one of the highlights of the Luxembourg Garden, the shady Renaissance-era Fontaine de Medicis (Medici Fountain), which in turn is close to the Palais du Luxembourg, now home to the French Senate.
Le Panthéon is across the street from one of the great Parisian churches, Saint Etienne du Mont, which is the resting place of St Genevieve, one of the patron saints of Paris. It’s also an amazing building with some unique late Gothic and Renaissance features, including an ornate rood screen.
You could follow the route back towards Place Monge and its Metro station, passing Place de la Contrescarpe and Rue Mouffetard. This is one of the best food areas in Paris, and the highlight for us is the Breton creperies which serve wonderful buckwheat galettes.
Place Monge is a gorgeous little square with a morning weekday market, one of the best neighbourhood markets in Paris that we’ve discovered. It usually winds down around midday, so makes a good place to pass through if you’re visiting the Pantheon Paris early in the day.
Several places of interest are close to Place Monge, including the Jardin des Plantes, another great Parisian park, and the Arènes de Lutece, the remains of the Roman Amphitheatre of Lutetia, the ancient precursor to Paris.
You could also head in the opposite direction down Boulevard Saint-Michel, passing the Sorbonne and the Cluny Museum before reaching the junction with Boulevard Saint-Germain.
From there you could turn right to the Saint Germain des Pres church, which also gives its name to the surrounding literary district. Several famous cafes – Aux Deux Magots, Café de Flore and Brasserie Lipp – can be found very close to the church.
The Pantheon Paris – Final Thoughts
I visited the Pantheon in 2022, thirty years after my first visit, and was much more impressed second time around.
It’s an impressive and imposing building rather than beautiful, and it’s a Temple to France as much as it is a mausoleum to many of its national heroes.
If you have any interest in French history from the French Revolution onwards, I’d say the Pantheon is a must-see. The information is very well-presented and easy to access, so good that many of you probably wouldn’t need an audio guide.
And if you visit during the warmer months, work off one of those patisserie pounds you put on with a climb to the dome for some breathtaking views of Paris.
David Angel is a British photographer, writer and historian. He is a European travel expert with over 30 years’ experience exploring Europe. He has a degree in History from Manchester University, and his work is regularly featured in global media including the BBC, Condé Nast Traveler, The Guardian, The Times, and The Sunday Times. David is fluent in French and Welsh, and can also converse in Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech and Polish.
Check out some of our other articles on Paris here:
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- Famous Paris Bridges – 15 beautiful crossings of the river Seine
- Pont Alexandre III – the most ornate of the Seine bridges in Paris
- Bir Hakeim Bridge Paris – stunning Paris bridge with amazing Eiffel Tower views
- Tuileries Garden Paris – amazing historic Garden next to the Louvre and Seine
- St Julien Le Pauvre – humble neighbourhood church within sight of the towers of Notre Dame
- Saint Severin Paris – a late Gothic beauty in the Latin Quarter
- La Sainte Chapelle Paris – one of the glories of the Gothic Age
- Rue de l’Abreuvoir – gorgeous Montmartre street, one of the prettiest in Paris
- Rue St Rustique Paris – ancient Paris street with wonderful Sacre Coeur views
- Abbesses Metro Station Paris – the most beautiful Metro station in the city
- Statue of Liberty in Paris – discovering the replicas of Lady Liberty around the French capital
- Parc Monceau Paris – gorgeous city park near the Arc de Triomphe