The Pantheon of Paris

Filed in archive Budget Europe on October 9, 2008

"Yes, they told me you were fools, and that I was not to listen to your kind words, nor trust to your charity. You promised me my life, but you lied!"

Who recognizes these words? Ten points for anyone who said that they came from Saint Joan. Like far too many New York City girls, I used this Saint Joan monologue as an audition piece for High School of the Performing Arts, which is now called La Guardia High School. Thus I was pleased to see this painting of her in the Pantheon of Paris.

The Pantheon is an interesting place. Once a place of worship for Saint Genevieve, it now serves a multitude of liturgical ceremonies. However, its most fascinating function is as a burial place for some of the most famous people in the history of France. Those buried in the necropolis include Voltaire, Rousseau, Zola and others.