Students from the LL.M. International Business Law – Paris program explore the Panthéon and immerse themselves in French history
On Friday, October 17th, students enrolled in the LL.M. International Business Law program, taught on the Paris campus, had the wonderful opportunity to take part in a guided tour of the Panthéon.
Guided by an art history lecturer, the students were able to visit the tombs of illustrious men and women who have been honored in the Panthéon for their service to the French nation. Among them are politicians, artists, scientists, and Resistance members, such as Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Alexandre Dumas, André Manouchian, but also Pierre and Marie Curie, Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Josephine Baker, whose tombs lie in the crypt of the monument.
As the LLM International Business Law is a notably international program, with this year’s cohort consisting entirely of international students from Europe, Asia, South America and North America, this 90-minute visit was a unique opportunity for them to discover an essential part of French history and culture. They explored a place steeped in history which brings together essential scientific and artistic artefacts, such as Foucault’s pendulum, which invites visitors to observe the movement of the Earth, and the National Convention, which celebrates the First French Republic.
One week after Robert Badinter – a French lawyer, fervent defender of human rights – was inducted into the Panthéon, they were able to discover the history of the monument, from its religious purpose (it was originally intended to be a church dedicated to Sainte Geneviève, patron saint of the city of Paris) to its definitive conversion into a burial place following the funeral of Victor Hugo in 1885.
