A grandiose building. Soufflot's ambition was to outdo the churches of St. Peter's in Rome and St. Paul's in London. The monumental peristyle was inspired by the Pantheon commissioned by Agrippa in Rome.
A decorative programme. From 1874 onwards, the sanctuary was decorated with paintings on canvas marouflé illustrating the life of Saint Geneviève and the epic story of the beginnings of both Christianity and the monarchy in France.
The crypt. Visit the tombs of the eminent personalities interred in the crypt who shaped France's national identity. A permanent exhibition gives details about the lives and works of those who are buried here, from Voltaire and Rousseau to Joséphine Baker.
Foucault's pendulum. First installed in 1851 and removed then reinstalled in 1995, this device demonstrated the Earth's rotation.
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