Pantheon, Paris
Pantheon
Address: Place du Pantheon, 75005 Paris
Arrondissement: 5th
Hours: Winter hours are 10am to 7pm. Summer hours are 9:30am to 6:30pm.
Tickets: Adult 26EUR, Group 17EUR, Children 7EUR
Phone: 01 43 54 34 51
About the Pantheon
The Pantheon has an incredible and vast past. It’s history goes back as far as 507AD when King Clovish, the first of the Frankish Merovingian King’s, chose the site as a tomb for him and his wife Clothilde. In 512 the patroness of Paris, Saint Genevieve, was buried here. In 1744 when King Louis XV fell seriously ill, he made a promise to resurrect a church and breathe new life into this locate – which was known at the time as Abbey Saint Genevieve - for the love of Saint Genevieve. After a miraculous recovery, he did just that. The construction began in 1757 and was completed 34 years, during the French Revolution. During this year the Constituent Assembly of the Revolution dubbed the church as a temple to appease the remains of the great men of France that were buried there. The men in the crypt include some of the most famous French figures of all time such as Victor Huge, Jean Monnet, Marie and Pierre Curie and Emile Zola. Shortly there after in 1806 the buildings function was changed yet again to a pantheon and it served the public as a civic building as it still does today.
This place is also the location where astronomer Jean Bernard Leon Foucault proved to people everywhere that the world spins around its axis. His experimental pendulum is still there today. The dome also offers exciting views of Paris.
Getting to the Pantheon
Go to Cardinal Lemoine station on Paris Metro line 10. It is named after the Rue de Cardinal Lemoine. Cardinal Jean Lemoine (1250-1313) was a papal legate of Pope Boniface VIII to Philip IV the Fair.
Here is a short guide to 2 star and 3 star hotels near the Pantheon.
Don’t be fooled by the Comfort Hotel Opera Drouot’s two star rating. Located at 4 rue de la Grange Bataliere, this charming hotel offers a great position in the city. It is surrounded by many wonderful attractions, including the Jardin des Tuilieres. The rooms are simple and relaxing and the stone vaulted breakfast room is a beautiful touch to wake up to in the morning. Just a short distance from the metro station Grands Boulevards, which can be accessed by lines 8 or 9, this hotels 52EUR per night starting price is hard to beat.
The 3 star Crystal Hotel, located at 24 Rue Saint Benoit, is a mere 20 minute walk from Notre Dame and also a short walk to the Louvre, St Germain Des Pres, Musee D’Orsay and the Tuileries. A delicious breakfast is offered in a cavernous stone walled room each morning. The receptionists are there to make your stay unforgettable and help you any way that they can. All of the rooms are done up with pieces of art and beautiful deep color palettes. Rates start at 101.37EUR per night. Crystal Hotel is a short distance from metro line Saint Germain des Pres on line 4 and Mabillon station on line 10.
Located half a mile from the Tuileries, the Hotel le Vignon settles into the heart of the fashion district. The creamy beige decor with red and yellow accents follows fashionable suit. Situated at 23 rue Vignon in the 8th arrondisement, it is two minutes on foot from the Galeries Lafayette, Rue St Honore and the Opera. Close to several metros including Havre Caumartin, this three star gem offers stand out locality and superior room for 137EUR per night.
