Paris: 4 Historical Landmarks to Explore
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1. Saint-Denis Basilica: One of France's oldest sites of Christian worship and its most famous abbey—a burial place for 43 kings and 32 queens. The Saint-Denis Basilica, whose current edifice was built sometime between the 11th and 12th centuries, served as a royal burial site from as early as the fifth century. With its sculpted tombs and flamboyant Gothic details.
Panthéon
Neoclassicism, completed 1765 AD. The Panthéon, in the heart of the Latin Quarter, dominates the 5th district. Freely inspired by the Pantheon of Rome, the Parisian Panthéon was built as a memorial. Indeed, the crypts guard the tombs of the greatest French personalities who marked their country throughout history. You will find celebrities like Rousseau, Voltaire, or Alexandre Dumas. A short text sums up the life and work of those who rest here. When you come inside, you can also discover the Foucault pendulum, invented by Léon Foucault in 1851, which proves that the Earth rotates.
Place de la Concorde
Completed in 1772. During the French Revolution in 1789, the statue of Louis XV of France was torn down and the area renamed the Place de la Révolution. The new revolutionary government erected a guillotine in the square, and it was here that King Louis XVI was executed on 21 January 1793. Other important figures guillotined on the site, often in front of cheering crowds, were Queen Marie Antoinette, Princess Élisabeth of France, and Charlotte Corday. In 1795, under the Directory, the square was renamed Place de la Concorde as a gesture of reconciliation after the turmoil of the revolution. After the Bourbon Restoration of 1814, the name was changed back to Place Louis XV, and in 1826 the square was renamed Place Louis XVI.
Opéra National de Paris - Palais Garnier
A 19th-century architectural masterpiece, the Palais Garnier Opera House, built by Charles Garnier and opened in 1875, is the 13th opera house in Paris since the introduction of French opera by Louis XIV in 1669. Napoleon III commissioned it as part of the renovation works in the capital carried out under his command by Baron Haussmann. A historical monument open to visitors during the day staging opera and dance, with the ceiling painted by Chagall in the main auditorium.