Which neoclassical architect designed the Panthéon in Paris?

Jacques-Germain Soufflot designed the Panthéon in Paris, originally built as the church of Sainte-Geneviève.

King Louis XV commissioned the project after recovering from a serious illness and vowed to replace the old church dedicated to Paris’s patron saint. Soufflot’s design combined a Greek-cross plan, a monumental Corinthian portico, and a large dome. He aimed to unite the structural lightness associated with Gothic architecture with the order and grandeur of classical architecture.

Construction began in 1758, but the building advanced slowly because of financial and technical difficulties. Soufflot died in 1780, before the church was finished; his student Jean-Baptiste Rondelet continued the work, and the building was completed in 1790.

The French Revolution changed its purpose. In 1791, the former church became a national mausoleum for distinguished French citizens and was renamed the Panthéon. It has periodically returned to religious use, but today it is chiefly known as a secular memorial. Soufflot himself is buried there, alongside figures such as Voltaire, Victor Hugo, and Marie Curie.