The Great Pagoda

The Great Pagoda stands out for its massive, curved roof tiles and the towering, gold-leafed Buddha statue housed inside. Originally built as the French pavilion for the nineteen thirty-one Colonial Exhibition, the structure served as a showcase for colonial architecture. In the nineteen seventies, the building found a new life when the International Buddhist Institute transformed it into a center for study and meditation. Visitors now see the pagoda as a quiet space for monks and laypeople, far removed from the exhibition.