Place du Panthéon

The Place du Panthéon is defined by the massive stone drum and Corinthian columns of the building at its center. Commissioned by King Louis the Fifteenth as a church dedicated to Saint Genevieve, it shifted roles during the French Revolution. Leaders decided to turn the structure into a mausoleum for the nation’s heroes. When Victor Hugo died, his casket stayed under the dome for a night before burial, guarded by torches as thousands of mourners filed past in total silence.