Celebrity Graveland

November 21, 1694 – May 30, 1778

There’s a part of me that just wants to list pop-culture references to Voltaire and move on. Considering his name has been bandied around as an indirect punchline in everything from Les Misérables to Swingers, it would be easy enough. The name alone has become shorthand for philosophy the way “Shakespeare” has become a snarky characterization for someone who writes or “Einstein” has for someone who thinks they’re smart.

But alas, the point of this blog is to outline the person, not the caricature. So, François-Marie “Zozo” Arouet was born into low-nobility in Paris at the end of the 17th century. Educated by Jesuits and forced to hold desk jobs by his father, all young Zozo wanted to do in life was write.

And write, he did.

His wit earned him a reputation. His fearlessness oftentimes landed him in trouble. His favorite targets to write about were, naturally, the government and the aristocracy. In 1718, while imprisoned in the Bastille, he adopted the nom de plume, Voltaire. There are many attempts to explain why he chose the name, but only he would know for certain. The newly christened Voltaire spent the next 60 years writing prose, poetry, plays, letters, essays…pretty much anything he wanted. He became one of the leading European voices during what would come to be known as the Age of Enlightenment.

Voltaire championed social progress and believed it could only be achieved through reason. He challenged every manner of authority he could. Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau idolized Voltaire. Voltaire didn’t care much for Rousseau’s work and had no qualms telling him. A spirited rivalry ensued.

Voltaire spent much of his life routinely banished from Paris and living abroad. He was able to return a few months before his death. He died in Paris, but due to his criticism of the church in life, was denied a Christian burial. Friends and contemporaries had him buried in the Champagne region of France. Some 13 years later, the French National Assembly – newly grateful for his contributions to what became the French Revolution – returned his remains to Paris to be entombed with honors in the the national Panthéon…directly across the crypt from his old buddy, Rousseau.

Burial

The Panthéon – Paris, FRANCE

Specific Location

Entrance; To the left as you enter the crypt section. Directly across from Rousseau.

This entry was posted on December 11, 2023 at 9:12 am and is filed under The Pantheon with tags The Pantheon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.