If you're familiar with Roman history, Panthéon might be a word you wouldn't link directly to Paris, as it is the most preserved monument of Ancient Rome. As well as it is a Neoclassical monument in Paris. It might be the reason why the Panthéon is located in the Latin Quarter of Paris, due to the roots of this history. It was originally built as a church back in 1758 and was finished in 1790. That's a whopping 32 years of construction! The monument was designed to become a rival to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, and St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
King Louis XV wanted to dedicate the Panthéon to Saint Genevieve, Paris' patron saint. The designer (and King Louis XV) didn't live long enough to see the completion of the church. When the French Revolution started, the National Constituent Assembly voted to transform the church into a mausoleum for the remains of French citizens in 1791. This was the same way how the Panthéon in Rome was used in the 16th century.
The monument was twice restored to a Church in the 19th century, but at the end of the 19th century (1881), the monument became exclusively used as a mausoleum.
The dome of the Panthéon in Paris is 83 meters high. While there is a cross topping it, a statue of Saint Genevieve was meant to be topping the dome instead. The entire dome is constructed out of stone. While you might think there is just one dome, there are three domes. One within the other, and one that showcases the painted ceiling which is visible from below. Which should be called a fresco, as it is a picture painted on a plastered wall.
The four pendentives of the dome were decorated with frescos made by François Gérard, which represented "Justice", "Death", "The Nation", and "Fame". Of course, the inner dome fresco had to be replaced as well as Napoleon was replaced by Louis XVIII. Jean-Antoine Gros was commissioned to make these replacements.
The Panthéon is a Mausoleum, so there is a crypt. This crypt is a restricted area and access is allowed only by a parliamentary act for "National Heroes". This is quite similar to Les Invalides, but for historical military leaders such as Napoléon. The crypt houses about 70 figures.
"The Pantheon is the final resting place of several notable people, including the first two kings of unified Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II and his son Umberto I who is placed in front of his wife Queen Margherita of Savoy (for whom pizza Margherita was named). The tomb of renowned painter Raphael is also found here." - source; theculturetrip.com/
Ann Veronica Janssens installed her artwork underneath the dome. She placed a large-scale mirror on the floor beneath the constant swinging pendulum. The pendulum is a scientific device that showcases the Earth's rotation, installed back in 1851.
The Panthéon was one of the sights 
When roaming inside the Panthéon, you will be amazed. The interior is insane. We were amazed. I quickly grabbed my camera and set the right ISO to start photographing. I didn't bring my tripod with me, because I wasn't entirely sure I was allowed to bring one. I had to improvise and use my camera bag as a steady point. Even though the camera bag was near ground level, I could tilt the camera a bit to capture more of the interior. Kind of tricky and a hassle, but it was worth it in the end.
Most of the place is covered with frescos that tell a story. For example, the huge Victory leading the Armies of the Republic Fresco is just insane... Between the walls, several artworks illustrate Saint Genevieve throughout her years.
At first, I was a bit bummed that I wasn't able to take a photograph underneath the Dome myself, but this art exhibition was quite nice, as I can only imagine the number of people that would be in the center without it. Also, the size of this mirror was insane and perfectly clean. This allowed me to take some very crisp shots.
The ceilings were very detailed as well. Tried to make some symmetrical photographs here. But I really needed to punch up the ISO here.
One thing I didn't know, was that you were able to go to the roof and see a huge panorama of Paris. It cost an additional 3,50 EUR each on top of the ticket price (11,50 EUR), but worth it. The view you got from up there was nice. You could see almost all of the landmarks located in Paris. I could take some photographs of Lackofcolor posing with the Eiffel Tower. Ha... Whenever I see her with the Eiffel Tower, I hear her saying "What an ugly tower". Haha. Oh well... I'm glad she enjoyed the rest of Paris much much more.
I think it's hard to believe that the Panthéon is a very popular landmark due to its name. I wouldn't be surprised that I'm wrong about that though. It is a very beautiful landmark with impressive architecture, interior, and art. Hope you enjoyed some information about the Panthéon, my small story, and the photographs.
Cheers
Ruben
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