Since June 4th, JR’s installation #AuPanthéon is open to the public.

We invite you to come visit the Panthéon and discover this artwork both inside and outside the monument.

Thank you to all those who lent their smile to the project and helped this installation come to life.

Important information:
The inside installation is visible until October 5th, 2014.
The outside installation will be visible during the entire restoration work on the dome of the Pantheon.
Adress: Place du Panthéon 75005 Paris
Admission: general admission of the monument (details and hours on http://pantheon.monuments-nationaux.fr) – free for those under 26 years old.

The installation of the artwork "Au Panthéon!" by artist JR has started on Monday May 12th.

Almost 4,000 portraits will cover the dome and some parts inside the monument, as visitors can already see.

Please note: the Pantheon stays open during installation, which will be finished on the day before the June 3rd official opening.

Visitors will be able to discover the full installation on June 4th.

Be just a little bit patient...

Thanks to you and your enthusiasm, we have collected:

• more than 2,500 portraits during the itinerancy of JR's photobooth truck in nine monuments;
• more than 1,300 portraits through the website.

A huge Thank You to all of you! Time is now to creation for the artist JR.

The artwork will be inaugurated at the Panthéon on June 3rd, 2014. The full installation (inside and outside) will be visible the next day.

Come and have your photo taken for free from 10 am to 8 pm outside (hours subject to modification).

In the event of large visitor numbers the organization reserves the right to close access to the photobooth truck before 8 pm.

If you cannot come and visit the monument then you can still take part in the project by uploading your photo portrait in the Take Part section.

Find all practical information at: http://pantheon.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

Come and have your photo taken for free in the photobooth truck of artist JR from 1.30 pm to 7 pm (hours subject to modification).

In the event of large visitor numbers the organization reserves the right to close access to the photobooth truck before 7 pm.

If you cannot come and visit the monument then you can still take part in the project by uploading your photo portrait in the Take Part section.

Find all practical information at: http://sully.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

Come and have your photo taken for free in the photobooth truck of artist JR from 1 pm to 7 pm (hours subject to modification).

If possible you can then post your portrait around the monument (in a dedicated place indicated on site) and take part in this monumental work that is open to everyone!

In the event of large visitor numbers the organization reserves the right to close access to the photobooth truck before 7 pm.

If you cannot come and visit the monument then you can still take part in the project by uploading your photo portrait in the Take Part section.

Find all practical information at: http://villa-savoye.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

The Swiss-born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (1887-1965), better known as Le Corbusier, settled in Paris in 1917 and broke with traditional architec- ture. He set out his innovative ideas for urban planning and architecture in the magazine L'Esprit nouveau which he created in 1920 with the artist Amédée Ozenfant and Paul Dermée, and by taking part in the Ciam, a congress founded in 1928.

The villa, the weekend home of the Savoye family, was built between 1928 and 1931 and called “les Heures Claires”. This “box in the air” was the culmination of the architect’s formal research and the implementation of the Five Points of New Architecture.

Occupied first by the Germans, then by the Allies during the war, the villa suffered extensive damage. In 1958, the town of Poissy bought the property from the Savoyes in order to build a high school, then gave it to the State in 1962. Awareness of the villa’s universal value led to its restoration between 1963 and 1997. It was listed as a historic monument during the lifetime of its designer in 1965.

These were set out by Le Corbusier in 1927 to provide the theoretical underpinnings of the basic principles of the modern movement.

• Stilts - By using stilts, Le Corbusier created a “box in the air” construction with its base disappearing into the surrounding grass.
• Roof gardens - The flat roof becomes a useable terrace where flowers can be planted. The horizontal line of the building means it stands out clearly against the sky.
• Open-plan - Reinforced concrete frees the interior of load- bearing and separating walls. The posts support the floors, allowing for an open-plan design. Light partitions are sufficient to separate the different areas.
• Free-floating facade - The facades were free of the load-bearing structure, and placed freely on the stilts. Their positions are determined by the views from the inside.
• Horizontal window - The non-load-bearing facades can have long windows, creating light and airy interiors, two qualities which were highly prized in the modern Movement.

All the information is available at: http://villa-savoye.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

Come and have your photo taken for free in the photobooth truck of artist JR from 1 pm to 7 pm (hours subject to modification).

If possible you can then post your portrait around the monument (in a dedicated place indicated on site) and take part in this monumental work that is open to everyone!

In the event of large visitor numbers the organization reserves the right to close access to the photobooth truck before 7 pm.

If you cannot come and visit the monument then you can still take part in the project by uploading your photo portrait in the Take Part section.

Find all practical information at: http://palais-tau.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

In the Gallo-Roman period, there was a building where the cathedral stands now. At the beginning of the 5th century, Bishop Nicaise had a church built and dedicated it to Our Lady. It became important around 496 after the baptism of Clovis, the first king of the Francs. It was the venue for royal coronations for the majority of the kings of France from the 9th century, up to the coronation of Charles X in 1825. Just next to the cathedral is the sumptuous residence of the Bishop. In the Middle Ages, its T shape gave it the name of the Palais du Tau.

Following a fire in 1210, the building was rebuilt and a two-storey chapel added. It was refurbished at the end of the 15th century in High Gothic style and by 1691 the palace had acquired its current classical appearance. Confiscated during the Revolution, it was eventually returned to the Clergy during the Restoration and has been State property since 1905.

The cathedral and the Palais du Tau are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

All the information is available at: http://palais-tau.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

Project “Au Panthéon !” arrives at the half of its travel: the photobooth truck of JR has already gone through 1700 kilometres, visited 4 monuments and received 1500 portraits.

This week, the photobooth truck will set off of Tours de la Rochelle on Wednesday then of the Palais du Tau of Reims Saturday. Remain linked!

Come and have your photo taken for free in the photobooth truck of artist JR from 1 pm to 7 pm (hours subject to modification).

If possible you can then post your portrait around the monument (in a dedicated place indicated on site) and take part in this monumental work that is open to everyone!

In the event of large visitor numbers the organization reserves the right to close access to the photobooth truck before 7 pm.

If you cannot come and visit the monument then you can still take part in the project by uploading your photo portrait in the Take Part section.

Find all practical information at: http://la-rochelle.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

Having been in the hands of both the French and the English by turns, the city of La Rochelle negotiated its autonomy from both kingdoms. In 1372, during the reign of Charles V,the city finally became French. A major programme of fortifications strengthened the port’s defences, with the rebuilding of the Saint Nicolas and Chaîne towers. These two towers came to be the symbol of the renewed alliance with the King of France. The towers were also landmarks for navigation, in particular the Lanterne tower.

La Rochelle, a Protestant capital between 1568 and 1628, attracted the wrath of the King of France, who called into question the city’s autonomous status. The Great Siege (1627-1628), led by Cardinal de Richelieu, subjugated La Rochelle to Louis XIII’s authority. The king ordered the destruction of the fortifications. Only the towers were spared. In 1879, they were listed as historic monuments and later underwent several restoration campaigns.

In 1137, the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to King Louis VII of France made La Rochelle part of the crown estate. In 1152, Eleanor was remarried to Henry Plantagenet, who was to become King of England, and thus the city became English. In 1175, it obtained borough rights. Having finally become French in 1372, the city had increased autonomy, with its mayor becoming more powerful: through skilful negotiations, it became the French city with the most privileges.

Thanks to its tax and customs privileges, La Rochelle enjoyed increasing prosperity from the 12th to the 14th centuries. It was a major export centre for wine and salt from Northern Europe and the Iberian peninsula. From the 17th century onwards, it was one of the main ports for immigration and transatlantic trade (the Americas, the West Indies, Africa, etc.).

La Rochelle became a place de sûreté for Protestants in 1570. In 1627, wishing to restore his authority, Louis XIII ordered Cardinal de Richelieu to take the city by siege. Land fortifications and a dike were built to prevent supplies from reaching the city. At the end of 1628, famine forced the city to surrender. The king re-established taxation and Roman Catholicism. In the 18th century La Rochelle once more became a prosperous city in which many Protestants displayed their success.

The common characteristics of the great alignments in the region of Carnac suggest that they could have served as ceremonial places. The rows mark off converging paths towards the enclosures*, which occupy strategic positions on higher ground and complete the megalithic layouts. In this scenario, the combination of an open processional area (the rows of menhirs) and a closed-off worship area (the enclosure) form the outline of the most ancient preserved “temples” in the history of mankind.

All the information is available at: http://la-rochelle.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

Come and have your photo taken for free in the photobooth truck of artist JR from 1 pm to 7 pm (hours subject to modification).

If possible you can then post your portrait around the monument (in a dedicated place indicated on site) and take part in this monumental work that is open to everyone!

In the event of large visitor numbers the organization reserves the right to close access to the photobooth truck before 7 pm.

If you cannot come and visit the monument then you can still take part in the project by uploading your photo portrait in the Take Part section.

Find all practical information at: http://carnac.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

The Carnac alignments were erected in the Neolithic era, between the fifth and third millenia B.C., by sedentarised communities who raised livestock and farmed. These stone constructions, combining rows of menhirs and enclosures, form part of a megalithic landscape comprising isolated menhirs, individual tombs (mounds) and collective tombs (dolmens).

According to the legend of Saint Cornely, the Carnac megaliths were Roman legionaries turned to stone, while local belief held them to be magical stones. Scholars at the beginning of the nineteenth century believed them to be Celtic temples. The scientific approach adopted by the inspector of historic monuments Prosper Mérimée led the State to pursue a policy of buying and preserving megaliths from 1830 onwards. During the twentieth century, the site underwent restorations and developments which enable contemporary visitors to have a better understanding of the Neolithic builders.

Megalithic architecture can be divided into two major categories:

- Individual or collective tombs whose sheer size means that, in addition to their use as burial grounds, they could also be considered as territorial markers or even emblems of the collective identity of the group that built them.

- Standing stones, which remain a mystery. Several interpretations have been put forward, none of which are wholly convincing. Today, specialists tend to view them as “markers” for special or sacred sites.

The common characteristics of the great alignments in the region of Carnac suggest that they could have served as ceremonial places. The rows mark off converging paths towards the enclosures*, which occupy strategic positions on higher ground and complete the megalithic layouts. In this scenario, the combination of an open processional area (the rows of menhirs) and a closed-off worship area (the enclosure) form the outline of the most ancient preserved “temples” in the history of mankind.

All the information is available at: http://carnac.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

One week of road-trip, 800 kilometres course and 764 portraits collected for « Au Panthéon ! ». Awesome! Thanks to all.

Come and have your photo taken for free in the photobooth truck of artist JR from 1 pm to 7 pm (hours subject to modification).

If possible you can then post your portrait around the monument (in a dedicated place indicated on site) and take part in this monumental work that is open to everyone!

In the event of large visitor numbers the organization reserves the right to close access to the photobooth truck before 7 pm.

If you cannot come and visit the monument then you can still take part in the project by uploading your photo portrait in the Take Part section.

Find all practical information at: http://angers.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

The site, a rocky promontory overlooking the River Maine, has been occupied by man since the Neolithic period. In the 9th century, the threat from the Normans led the Count of Anjou to settle there. Three centuries later, when the powerful Plantagenet dynasty reigned over the Anjou, a veritable palace was built here. In the 13th century, the Regent Blanche of Castile had a fortress built as a place to mass royal troops. In the 14th and 15th century, the Dukes of Anjou, Louis I, Louis II, and King René, enlightened princes and art lovers, conducted a brilliant court life from within the shelter of the fortress.

At the end of the 16th century, at the height of the Wars of Religion, a governor of the fortress, Donadieu de Puycharic, the representative of King Henri III (1574-1589), had the roofs of the towers and the ramparts levelled. This adapted the fortress to advances in artillery. It was subsequently occupied by the Army and frequently acted as a prison.

This tapestry is an illustration of the Apocalypse according to St John or the “Book of Revelation”, the last text in the New Testament. This text, written at the end of the 1st century AD, recounts the prophetic visions of St John and the struggle between Good and Evil. The tapestry also offers a realistic representation of the period when it was created, with the Hundred Years War, famine and plague.

All the information is available at: http://angers.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

Come and have your photo taken for free in the photobooth truck of artist JR from 1 pm to 7 pm (hours subject to modification).

If possible you can then post your portrait around the monument (in a dedicated place indicated on site) and take part in this monumental work that is open to everyone!

In the event of large visitor numbers the organization reserves the right to close access to the photobooth truck before 7 pm.

If you cannot come and visit the monument then you can still take part in the project by uploading your photo portrait in the Take Part section.

Find all practical information at: http://carcassonne.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

Inhabited from ancient times, the site was protected at the time of the Lower Empire by a Gallo-Roman enclosure. This, however, did not prevent Visigoth, Saracen and Frankish assailants from taking possession of it in turn.

In the 12th century, the Trencavel dynasty was one of the most powerful families in the South of France. In 1208, Pope Innocent III called for a crusade against the Cathar heresy. Carcassonne was besieged and surrendered on 15 August 1209. In 1226 the viscounty of Carcassonne became part of the royal domain as a seneschalsy. It was at this time that the town became the fortress we can still see today.

Until the signature of the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, Carcassonne was used to protect the border between France and Aragon. In the 19th century, the architect Viollet-le-Duc restored the city to its medieval appearance.

It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

All the information is available at: http://carcassonne.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

The basilica stands on the site of a Gallo- Roman cemetery with the tomb of Saint Denis, thought to have been the first Bishop of Paris, who was martyred circa 250AD. This place of pilgrimage was built in the 5th century. Dagobert was a benefactor to it in the 7th century, and Pepin the Short was crowned king here in 754. It became one of the most powerful Benedictine abbeys in the Middle Ages. Most of the kings and queens of France were buried here from the 6th century onwards.

In the 12th century, Suger, Abbot of Saint Denis, was an influential political figure. He turned the abbey into a masterpiece of what came to be known as early Gothic art. He rebuilt the structure using new architectural techniques, including the rose window and cross-ribbed vault, bathing the building in coloured light. More work was done in the 13th century, during the reign of Saint Louis, giving the basilica its present appearance. However the Abbey was plunged into decline by wars and the Revolution. It was restored in the 19th century, particularly by Viollet-le-Duc, before becoming a cathedral in 1966.

Thanks to the popular veneration of Saint Denis, the basilica very soon linked its destiny to that of the royalty. It became the preferred necropolis of the French monarchs, and each new dynasty continued this tradition in order to support its legitimacy. 42 kings, 32 queens, 63 princes and princesses and 10 great men of the realm were buried here; even Napoleon I wan- ted to make it into an imperial necropolis. Dagobert was the first king to be buried here. With only a very few exceptions, all the monarchs were buried here from Hugues Capet onwards. The first official histories of France were writ- ten by the monks of Saint Denis.

Today the basilica has over 70 recumbent statues and tombs, a unique collection in Europe. This gives an idea of changes in funereal art, from 12th-century statues sculpted with open eyes to the large compositions dating from the Renaissance, associating death with the hope of resurrection.

Come and have your photo taken for free in the photo booth truck of artist JR on the square in front of the cathedral from 1 pm to 7 pm (hours subject to modification).

If possible you can then post your portrait around the monument (in a dedicated place indicated on site) and take part in this monumental work that is open to everyone!

In the event of large visitor numbers the organisation reserves the right to close access to the photo booth truck before 7 pm.

If you cannot come and visit the monument then you can still take part in the project by uploading your photo portrait in the Take Part section.

Find all practical information at saint-denis.monuments-nationaux.fr/en.

For many years now the Pantheon has presented various forms of damage resulting primarily from the weight of the buttresses pushing against the building, and the oxidation of metallic elements causing them to swell in places and crack the stone. This oxidation is due to the infiltration of water.

The restoration campaign will last ten or so years and will focus in turn on the upper parts, the peristyle, the interior, and the exterior facings, before finishing with the exterior flooring. It will enable the Pantheon to resume its exceptional place amongst the monuments of Paris. These works will definitively resolve the building's structural problems and are one of the largest restoration campaigns currently being carried out in Europe.

The preparatory phase of works is an exceptional undertaking in its own right as it involves particularly massive installations.

A monumental scaffolding system - a great technical feat – has been erected around the dome without weighing down on the building. This dome, which is visible right across Paris, will be covered in hoardings during the first phase of works from early 2014 to the end of 2015. The CMN has decided to take advantage of the installation of these hoardings to promote the monument in a way that embodies the values of the Pantheon.

That is why the worksite hoardings will be used for the first time to present an artistic venture.

The stages have been planned as followed (subject to modification):

• Phase 1: the dome and drum / as of 2013
• Phase 2: the peristyle / as of 2015
• Phase 3: the vaults, supporting structures, and inner walls / as of 2017
• Phase 4: the external cladding / as of 2020
• Phase 5: the flooring in the external enclosure/ as of 2022

Work will also be carried out to improve working conditions for staff and make the monument accessible to disabled visitors, primarily by installing a lift.

All of the works will be conducted by the Centre des monuments nationaux.

The Church of Sainte-Geneviève, built between 1764 and 1790 in the centre of Paris in accordance with the wishes of Louis XV.

On 4 April 1791 the Constituent Assembly decided to turn it into a Pantheon. From then on the crypt was used for the tombs of the great men of the French nation. Voltaire and Rousseau were buried there, followed in the early 19th century by great public servants in Napoleon’s circle. Since the year of Victor Hugo's death, 1885, champions of citizenship and Republican values of whom the country is proud have also been laid to rest there, including Victor Schoelcher, Jean Moulin, Marie Curie, and Alexandre Dumas.

The monument was built by the architect Soufflot in the neoclassical style, strongly influenced by Classical buildings (with a pediment, Greek cruciform layout, and Corinthian columns).

Marouflé canvases dating from the time when the Pantheon had once again become a church (in the second half of the 19th century) depict monarchic and religious figures from French history. They are the work of twelve painters with mainly academic training, nearly all of whom frequently received official commissions.

It is worth noting that the Pantheon is home to Foucault’s pendulum. This was a scientific experiment installed by Foucault himself in 1851, comprising a 47kg metallic sphere suspended on a 67m wire. It proves that the Earth rotates on its axis. The pendulum has been down for two years because of the major restoration campaign currently being carried out.

The Centre des monuments nationaux (CMN), which maintains and restores the monument and opens it to the public, is undertaking a major restoration project to ensure this place, which is so emblematic of national remembrance in France, is safeguarded for future generations.

For many years now the Pantheon has presented various forms of damage resulting primarily from the weight of the buttresses pushing against the building, and the oxidation of metallic elements causing them to swell in places and crack the stone. This oxidation is due to the infiltration of water.

The restoration campaign will last ten or so years and will focus in turn on the upper parts, the peristyle, the interior, and the exterior facings, before finishing with the exterior flooring. It will enable the Pantheon to resume its exceptional place amongst the monuments of Paris. These works will definitively resolve the building's structural problems and are one of the largest restoration campaigns currently being carried out in Europe.

The Pantheon will remain open during restoration works.
Please note however that Foucault’s pendulum has been removed and is no longer visible.

All the information is available at: http://pantheon.monuments-nationaux.fr/en.