The Pantheon.
It just sounds cool: the Pantheon… Invoking an image of might, the French version is a little different than the Roman one we might all think of when we say “The Pantheon”. However, the French decided to name their national monument to great French heroes and the glory of France in honor of its secular nature. The original Pantheon in Rome was actually once a Roman temple.
So, what is the French Pantheon? The French Pantheon is a monument. Once a church, it is now a mausoleum interring great French citizens who contributed to the greatness of France (at least, those who were post-revolution with rare exception like Voltaire).
The building is interesting because it retained not only its religious shape, but some of some of its religious statutes etc. This echoes the struggle in France between its secular present and Christian history.
The Pantheon was also the site of Foucault’s famous pendulum experiment. The experiment effectively proved that the Earth does indeed rotate. A model of the original Pendulum is still displayed today.
What’s Cool…
For an extra few Euro, you can walk up a few hundred stairs to the “Panorama”. The views are amazing. You get 360 degree views of Paris – which is pretty cool – as well as guides that help you identify major landmarks. This may be one of my favorite “selfies” so far.
The walls used to be stained glass and now are painted with the story of France. That was pretty cool. However, you must get the audio guide otherwise they are just meaningless paintings.
The crypt for Voltaire was cool (although he may not really be there) if you are a Voltaire fan. Overall the crypts are worth about a 10 minute breeze through.
What’s Not So Cool…
Reasons I might skip it. Honestly, it’s kinda boring. The reason to go is the Latin Quarter where it is located is kinda cool and the views from the Panorama are breathtaking allowing you to really understand the layout of the City. But, overall, it’s not that exciting and it’s out of the way. So unless you want to see the University and the Latin Quarter, I would skip it.
Tips To Enhance Your Visit To The Pantheon.
Here are some tips to help make your visit to The Pantheon better:
- Buy tickets online, including pre-paying for the audio guide and the Panorama.
- The Panorama was the major selling point for me so if you go spent the 3 Euro extra.
- Honestly. I’d skip it entirely and just watch my video instead.
For an In-depth Review:
For a more in-depth review and tour, check out my Youtube video!!! And while you are there please hit the like and subscribe button so you can follow along on my journey and never miss an update on cool things to see or places to go!!!!!