Begun before the Revolution as a church to Sainte-Geneviève, it was repurposed as the resting place of notable French people. 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
• Simone Veil, politician and first woman to be President of the European Parliament
• Josephine Baker, singer, dancer and Resistance fighter, the first Black woman to be moved here