The Pantheon is located within the Latin Quarter in Paris. Originally built as a church, it now functions as a secular mausoleum containing the remains of distinguished French citizens such as Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas and Pierre and Marie Curie to name just a few.
Inside its spectacular dome structure, you will find beautiful paintings and sculptures with an enormous swinging pendulum at its center. Called the Foucault Pendulum after physicist Léon Foucault, it was originally designed to illustrate the rotation of the earth. Now it is only a copy though as the original pendulum was moved to the Musée des Arts et Métiers.
The Pantheon is listed as a 'monument historique' by the French Ministry of Culture and is a beautiful and awe inspiring sight looking over the city atop its perch on the hill. One of the alcoves inside the Pantheon houses a large model replica of the building where you can walk around the entire structure and even peer inside at a cross section to truly appreciate the architecture and true craftsmanship of the building.
Underneath the main floor is where the true function and majesty of this building hides. The entire underground section houses the mausoleum. A somber place that is the final resting place to some of the most prestigious and famous french figures of the last few centuries. It is a huge honor to be buried here.
The Pantheon is such a beautiful and majestic place to visit. It opens daily from around 10am to 6pm and costs only 9EU so its extremely affordable (also free with that amazing Museum Pass). I would absolutely recommend a visit, but keep in mind it is a burial place so if you decide to bring along children make sure they observe the quiet solitude of the place as noise is extremely frowned upon here.
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