Louvre pyramid's glass panel count

The Louvre pyramid, a prominent feature of the museum's entrance, is made up of 673 glass panels, divided into 603 rhombuses and 70 triangles.

The 666 number and the pyramid

The number 666, often linked to a rumor about the Louvre pyramid, does not appear in any physical count of the structure, which stands 21.64 meters high. The pyramid has 603 rhombuses and 70 triangles, totaling 673 panels.

Design of the pyramid's panels

The rhombuses form the bulk of the pyramid’s structure, while the triangles are positioned along the edges. Each of the four faces has 18 triangles on its edges, with 153 rhombuses filling the center, arranged in a large triangle.

Adjustments for the entrance face

The entrance face of the pyramid loses 9 rhombuses and 2 triangles to make room for the door, reducing its total to 160 panels. The calculation for the total number of panels fits into two lines: 4 x 153 - 9 = 603 rhombuses, and 4 x 18 - 2 = 70 triangles.

Dimensions and proportions

The square base of the pyramid measures 35.42 meters on each side, and its height of 21.64 meters is similar to that of a seven-story building. The proportions of the pyramid closely resemble those of the Giza pyramid, leading to a legend that it is a glass replica of Khufu’s pyramid.

Origin of the 666 rumor

The rumor about the number 666 originated in 1984, four years before the pyramid was inaugurated by François Mitterrand on March 4, 1988. The official brochure from the construction cited the number 666 twice, and several newspapers reported it.

Popularity of the 666 legend

The rumor gained global attention in 2003 with Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, where a character claims Mitterrand wanted exactly 666 panes. However, the museum and the architect's office clarified that the number of panels was 673, not 666.

How to reach 666

Proponents of the 666 number have to include other structures on the site to reach that count, such as the inverted pyramid and small pyramids. This method mixes elements from different buildings and is considered a stretch, not reflecting the large pyramid alone.

Variations in panel counts

Different numbers such as 672, 673, 689, and 793 have been cited for the number of panels. The discrepancies arise from what is counted, with the entrance face having fewer panels and other structures adding their own facets.

How to verify the count

To verify the number of panels, one can stand in front of one of the three solid faces of the pyramid. The triangles are visible along the edges, and the rhombuses form the central area. The entrance face shows a noticeable absence of 9 rhombuses and 2 triangles compared to its neighbors.