Last Tuesday, November 9th, the students had yet another opportunity to explore the famous historical architecture Panthéon. They visited the Panthéon, a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. But the Pantheon in Paris is more than a mausoleum. The building is truly impressive.
Before visiting the Panthéon, they went to visit Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, a church in Paris, France, located in the 5th arrondissement, near the Panthéon, on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève. Saint Geneviève, Paris’ patron saint, was buried here. The graves of Blaise Pascal and Jean Racine are also located in the cathedral. The church cemetery is where Jean-Paul Marat is buried.
Saint-Étienne-du-Mont Church was built at the end of the 15th century on the site of a 13th-century church, but its rich Renaissance façade was not completed until 1624. Until the French Revolution, the church housed the relics of Sainte Geneviève, patron saint of Paris. The church also houses an organ from the 1630s.
Until the French Revolution, the church housed the relics of Sainte Geneviève, patron saint of Paris. The church also houses an organ from the 1630s.
Photo by Nusrat Sultana.
After the visit, students with their Professor went to visit the Panthéon. Originally this was designed as a church that would be dedicated to Saint Genevieve, the church was meant to replace the ruined church where one had always stood for hundreds of years, but it then became a place for great men to be buried and turned into the Pantheon, which is one of the great monuments in Paris that we all can still visit today.
But the Pantheon in Paris is more than a mausoleum. With a ground floor hall filled with columns and works of art. On its sidewalls, students can see huge canvases and sculptures that combine religious and republican elements.
Looking upwards is the beautiful dome and in its center is the famous Foucault’s pendulum. This pendulum is a scientific experiment carried out here in 1851 to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth on its own axis.
Photo by Nusrat Sultana.
The Greco-Roman façade of the Pantheon is grandiose and impressive. Inspired by the Roman Pantheon, the most famous of all the pantheons, this facade has 22 Corinthian-style columns supporting a triangular pediment by David of Angers.
When you walk through the door, greatness is more evident. Its vast interior is obviously gothic, and magnificent. Its interior is what is known as Neoclassicism, as it is a tendency of the architects of the time to reproduce classical details in a new context. Here we see the reproduction of the pure lines and scale of Greek buildings several centuries later in a new environment.Studensts of our LSU CoAD in Paris Program. Photo ed taken by Nusrat Sultana.
The first thing one is likely to see as you go down to the crypt is the urn that holds the heart of Leon Gambetta that was brought to the Pantheon in 1920 as a reminder of the person who founded the Third republic.
As both Voltaire and Rousseau were regarded as emblems of the Enlightenment, the two tombs are placed side-by-side in the vestibule of the crypt, which is known as the first portion of the crypt (the vestibule is the first area of the crypt).
In the same space, the monument of Jacques Soufflot, the architect of the Pantheon commissioned by King Louis XV was erected in 1829.
Photo by Nusrat Sultana.
As both Voltaire and Rousseau were regarded as emblems of the Enlightenment, the two tombs are placed side-by-side in the vestibule of the crypt, which is known as the first portion of the crypt (the vestibule is the first area of the crypt).
In the same space, the monument of Jacques Soufflot, the architect of the Pantheon commissioned by King Louis XV was erected in 1829.
The museum offered a great experience and fantastic views, such as this one in the main corridor. Photo by Nusrat Sultana.
Walking through the corridors, it is easy to recognize the famous and important names. Names like Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, Emile Zola, Louis Braille or Alexandre Dumas. And even the architect of the Pantheon, Jacques-Germain Soufflot. The museum offered a great experience and fantastic views, such as this one in the main corridor. (Photograph by Nusrat Sultana.)
Originally this was designed as a church that would be dedicated to Saint Genevieve, the church was meant to replace the ruined church where one had always stood for hundreds of years, but it then became a place for great men to be buried and turned into the Pantheon, which is one of the great monuments in Paris that we all can still visit today. It was a great morning to explore this historical Monument.
