Panthéon (nonfiction)

The Panthéon (Latin: pantheon, from Greek πάνθειον (ἱερόν) '(temple) to all the gods') is a building in the Latin Quarter in Paris.

It was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve and to house the reliquary châsse containing her relics.

After many changes, the building now functions as a secular mausoleum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens, including Marie Curie (nonfiction).

It is an early example of neoclassicism, with a façade modeled on the Pantheon in Rome, surmounted by a dome that owes some of its character to Bramante's Tempietto.

Located in the 5th arrondissement on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, the Panthéon looks out over all of Paris.

Designer Jacques-Germain Soufflot had the intention of combining the lightness and brightness of the Gothic cathedral with classical principles, but its role as a mausoleum required the great Gothic windows to be blocked.

Nonfiction cross-reference

• Marie Curie (nonfiction)

External links:

• Panthéon @ Wikipedia