The Panthéon began as a church dedicated to Saint Geneviève and became a national mausoleum during the Revolution. Its neoclassical dome and portico now frame an evolving memorial to people whom France chooses to honor.
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The inscription “Aux grands hommes, la patrie reconnaissante” signals the Panthéon’s national role, but the building began as a church. Louis XV promised to rebuild Sainte-Geneviève after recovering from illness; architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot’s project began in the 1760s.
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- The Panthéon began as the church of Sainte-Geneviève, commissioned by Louis XV.
- It became a national mausoleum during the Revolution in 1791.
- The building definitively retained its role as a Panthéon after Victor Hugo’s burial in 1885.
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