Newton Cenotaph

Designed by Étienne-Louis Boullée in 1784, the Newton Cenotaph was conceived as a monument to Isaac Newton and the scientific ideals of the Enlightenment. An immense hollow sphere, approximately 150 metres high, rests on a terraced base surrounded by cypress trees. A small commemorative sarcophagus occupies the bottom of the spherical chamber. During the day, openings in the vault admit sunlight to evoke a star-filled night sky; at night, a suspended luminous armillary sphere creates the effect of daylight. The project was never built.