Le Panthéon

Begun before the Revolution as a church to Sainte-Geneviève, (Paris’ patron saint), grand enough to rival the Vatican, it was repurposed as the resting place of notable French people since the Revolutionary governments were not so keen on churches. The inscription under the cornice reads “Aux grands hommes la patrie reconnaissante” (To great men from the grateful nation)

And I know what you’re wondering: are there any women buried here? Answer: yes, a few! Out of 81 people as of December 2021, six are women:

• Marcellin Berthelot (19^th century chemist) is here with his wife Sophie
• Marie Curie was next, on her own merits (moved there in 1995, along with Pierre Curie)
• Geneviève de Gaulle-Antonioz and Germaine Tillon, heroines of the French Resistance during WWII
• Simone Veil, politician and first woman to be President of the European Parliament
• American-born Josephine Baker, singer, dancer and Resistance fighter, the first Black woman to be moved here