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Pantheon Paris – the first imposing neoclassical monument

Every building with amazing architecture has its unique story. The reason the Pantheon Paris was built was firstly to replace the damaged Sainte-Genevieve church at the command of Louis XV. This was a gift of gratitude to God because his health had recovered. Soufflot was chosen for accomplishing the task. He wanted to have the Gothic style combined with the classical structure. Because of financial problems, Soufflot could not finish the building during his life; he died before seeing it completed. His pupil did not exactly have the same ideas as his master and made some changes. However the building is a masterpiece and one of the greatest neoclassical monuments.

Shortly after the Pantheon was built (which was called back then the Sainte-Genevieve Church), the age of the French Revolution, the age of transformations and embracing new ideas came. It was then when the government changed the church into a mausoleum, a place to bury exceptional Frenchmen who had sacrificed their lives for their country or done something great for it. However, the mausoleum was changed back into a church several times until it finally became a burial place for martyrs and brilliant French citizens for good.

The sight that this building offers is amazing. From there, you can see all of Paris. The inside architecture is absolutely stunning: it has the Gothic decorations combined with the mainly classical style of the building, creating such an admirable neoclassical monument. The Pantheon is a must-see in Paris, both because of the imposing architecture it has and in respect to the people that made the world a better place.

Marie Curie, the first lady buried at the Pantheon discovered radioactivity. Together with her husband, they now are honored for achieving something that helped people from all over the world. People come and respectfully visit their burial place. Voltaire, the Thinker, is buried and has his statue there as well. Rumors had it that shortly after he was buried there, his bones were stolen by some fanatics, but it was confirmed later that the rumors were false.

During The 2nd World War there were many ordinary people in France that chose to protect the Jews and help them in all possible ways. Upwards of seventy-five thousand Jews that lived in France during the War did not survive. As high of a number as it is, it is significantly lower than many other Nazi controlled areas and you have many French citizens who refused to witness the cruelty of the Nazis to thank for that. In the Pantheon Paris there is a monument honoring these people as well. Visiting the Pantheon is an experience which helps people to see that with life and its complexities, things eventually come to an end and that you should live in the moment.