Panthéon, Paris

A Neoclassical church commissioned by Louis XV in thanks for recovering from a serious illness, dedicated to Sainte-Geneviève (the patron saint of Paris) and designed by Jacques-Germain Soufflot in 1755. Building dragged on for 35 years, and Soufflot died before he could see his dome finished. After the Revolution, in 1791, it was deconsecrated and turned into a pantheon for the great men of France, which is still what it is. Voltaire, Rousseau, Hugo, Zola, the Curies and Dumas are among those buried there.