Place du Pantheon in Paris
The Place du Pantheon was named after the famous burial place of The Pantheon in Paris and with a square in an arc shape along with historical buildings surrounding it designed by people such as Hittorff, Soufflot and Labrouste, there is so much architecture to admire, along with statues and a beautiful church.
About the Place du Pantheon
The Pantheon located within Place du Pantheon was no doubt the most famous work designed by the French architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot, yet he also designed the Faculte de Droit, or Faculty of Law building, which is also located at this square just opposite the famous burial place, with a part of the building running along the Rue Soufflt.
Now as you walk around The Pantheon, you will see that there are also other impressive buildings, such as the Bibliotheque Saint-Genevieve located within this square in Paris, and this particular building was designed by the architect Henri Labrouste in 1844 on the site of a former ancient college.
There is actually very little information as to when the area was named the Place du Pantheon after the famous edifice, which was originally meant to be a church dedicated to Saint Genevieve, yet it seems to be between 1844 and 1850 when different buildings such as the library were constructed.
And when you look at the arc shape of the Place du Pantheon, as though you are looking towards the Jardin du Luxembourg, you will see on the right, the Faculte de Droit, and although this was constructed in around the 1750s, on the opposite side, there is a building which looks almost identical.
However, this particular building belonging to the Mayor of the 5th Arrondissement, was actually designed by Jean-Baptiste Guenepin and work was started in 1844, yet this was only completed in 1850 by the architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff, who is most famous for the Cirque d’Hiver building home to a circus in Paris.
Another building located on the Place du Pantheon, which looks over the Pantheon, is also very historical, with a tower called the Tour Clovis, that is the only memory of the church and abbey constructed in the 12th century. But other parts of the Lycee Henri IV date from the 14th century, 17th century and even more modern additions such as those by the architect Lahure in the 1800s.
Also opposite the Lycee Henri IV which faces The Pantheon and still within this square in Paris is a church called the Eglise Saint Etienne du Mont, which was reconstructed in the 1400s. It has an impressive clock tower along with statues on the facade including one of Saint Genevieve, who is the patron saint of Paris.
And as you are looking down the Place du Pantheon from the church, you will also be able to discover a statue dedicated to Pierre Corneille, which was put in place in 1952 after the original was melted down during World War II when Paris was under occupation.
Yet on the opposite side of The Pantheon you can discover another one of the many statues in Paris that are located in different public places, and this one is dedicated to Jean Jacques Rousseau, which again was redone in stone after the original was destroyed. And by the way, he is one of the people interred within the famous burial place.
So, as you can no doubt tell, the Place du Pantheon has a lot of history and some incredible architecture to discover, yet this is one of the very few places in Paris that has no greenery, and is often overlooked by Parisians and tourists alike.
Visiting the Place du Pantheon
You will find the Place du Pantheon located in the 5th Arrondissement where it meets up with the Rue Soufflot, the Rue Clovis and the Rue Clotilde, and the nearest Metro station is the Cardinal Lemoine stop serving line 10, which is only a short walk away.
But other options for public transport include the RER trains, with the nearest train station being the Luxembourg stop serving the RER B Line and the Bus Line 84 actually stops at the Place du Pantheon.
Yet a little further away and you have the Bus Lines 21, 27, 38, 82 and 89 along with the Noctilien Night Bus Service via lines N14, N21 and N122 plus there is a Velib station for the self service bike hire on the Rue Descartes just behind the Eglise Saint-Etienne-du-Mont.
