May 8th, 2023 - 23b Panthéon, Pl. du Panthéon, 75005 Paris, France

1st, 2023 - June 2nd, 2023: Europe Trip

May 8th, 2023 - 23b Panthéon, Pl. du Panthéon, 75005 Paris, France

Paris Sightseeing
Panthéon, Pl. du Panthéon, 75005 Paris, France

Went in to see the Panthéon which although was intended to be a church, finally became a mausoleum for the remains of distinguished French citizens, modelled on the Pantheon in Rome which had been used in this way since the 17th century.

Although we could identify a few of the deceased French nobles, i was mesmerized by the Foucault pendulum which is a 67-metre (220 ft) pendulum beneath the central dome constructed in 1851 by the physicist Léon Foucault to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth.

The original sphere from the pendulum was temporarily displayed at the Panthéon in the 1990s (starting in 1995) during renovations at the Musée des Arts et Métiers. The original pendulum was later returned to the Musée des Arts et Métiers, and a copy is now displayed at the Panthéon. It has been listed since 1920 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.