Panthéon

building, Paris, France
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Also known as: Sainte-Geneviève

Panthéon, building in Paris that was begun about 1757 by the architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot as the Church of Sainte-Geneviève to replace a much older church of that name on the same site. It was secularized during the French Revolution and dedicated to the memory of great Frenchmen, receiving the name Panthéon. Its design exemplified the Neoclassical return to a strictly logical use of classical architectural elements. The Panthéon is a cruciform building with a high dome over the crossing and lower saucer-shaped domes (covered by a sloping roof ) over the four arms. The facade, like that of the Roman ...(100 of 203 words)