Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet) in the Pantheon
N 48° 50.781 E 002° 20.709
31U E 451955 N 5410582
On July 10, 1791 (thirteen years after his death and two years after the French Revolution) Voltaire's remains were transferred to the Panthéon, a church that was newly dedicated as a perpetual shrine to the great men of the nation.
Waymark Code: WM32D5
Location: France
Date Posted: 01/29/2008
Views: 95
Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, essayist, deist and philosopher known for his wit, philosophical sport, and defense of civil liberties, including freedom of religion and the right to a fair trial. He was an outspoken supporter of social reform despite strict censorship laws and harsh penalties for those who broke them. A satirical polemicist, he frequently made use of his works to criticize Christian Church dogma and the French institutions of his day.
Many of Voltaire's works and ideas would influence important thinkers of both the American and French Revolutions, an honor that he would share with other political theorists such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbes.
Voltaire was a prolific writer, and produced works in almost every literary form, authoring plays, poetry, novels, essays, historical and scientific works, over 20,000 letters and over two thousand books and pamphlets.
He is best known today for his novel, Candide, ou l'Optimisme (Candide, or Optimism, 1759), which satirized the philosophy of Leibniz.
In 1749, Voltaire fell out of favor at the court and relocated to Berlin, where his benefactor was Frederick the Great. He was given a salary of 20,000 francs a year, and initially fared very well at Frederick the Great's palace. However, his benefactor became very angry at him when he published 'The Diatribe of Doctor Akakia,' which was aimed at the president of the Berlin Academy of Science, with whom he was arguing and facing a lawsuit. Frederick had all copies of the book burned and had Voltaire arrested while on his way back to France.
(excerpts from wikipedia and findagrave)
Description:
see above
Date of birth: 11/21/1694
Date of death: 05/30/1778
Area of notoriety: Literature
Marker Type: Crypt (below ground)
Setting: Indoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: 10am - 6.15pm.
Fee required?: Yes
Web site: [Web Link]
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