Page "Jacques-Louis David" Paragraph 25

When Voltaire died in 1778, the church denied him a church burial, and his body was interred near a monastery.

A year later, Voltaire's old friends began a campaign to have his body buried in the Panthéon, as church property had been confiscated by the French Government.

In 1791 David was appointed to head the organizing committee for the ceremony, a parade through the streets of Paris to the Panthéon.

Despite rain, and opposition from conservatives based on the amount of money that was being spent, the procession went ahead.

Up to 100, 000 people watched the " Father of the Revolution " be carried to his resting place.

This was the first of many large festivals organized by David for the republic.

He went on to organize festivals for martyrs that died fighting royalists.

These funerals echoed the religious festivals of the pagan Greeks and Romans and are seen by many as Saturnalian.