Voltaire, François Marie Arouet de: The Final Chapter

In 1778, his 84th year, Voltaire attended the first performance of his tragedy Irène, in Paris. His journey and his reception were a triumph and apotheosis, but the emotion was too much for him and he died in Paris soon afterward. In order to obtain Christian burial he had signed a partial retraction of his writings. This was considered insufficient by the church, but he refused to sign a more general retraction. To a friend he gave the following written declaration: “I die adoring God, loving my friends, not hating my enemies, and detesting persecution.” An abbot secretly conveyed Voltaire's corpse to an abbey in Champagne, where he was buried. His remains were brought back to Paris in 1791 and buried in the Panthéon.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Voltaire's Philosophy
• Voltaire's Style
• The Final Chapter
• The Ferney Years and Candide
• Berlin and Geneva
• Work in England and Cirey
• Early Life
• Bibliography

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