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How did Voltaire die in 1778?
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Voltaire
Voltaire, plaster sculpture by Jean-Antoine Houdon; in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California.
Voltaire returned to Paris in February 1778 to oversee rehearsals for his play Irène. The excitement of his return and the subsequent public acclaim took a severe toll on his health. On May 18, he was stricken with uremia, a condition that caused him significant pain during his final days. He died on May 30, 1778, appearing to pass away peacefully.1
Following his death, his nephew, the Abbé Mignot, had his body transported to the Abbey of Scellières, where he received a Christian burial before a formal prohibition against such a ceremony could be enforced. His remains were later moved to the Panthéon in Paris during the French Revolution in 1791.1