By Diego Campbell Paris. The city of love, the Eiffel Tower, and the bread with the funny name. But under the surface, Paris’s history comes alive. Or rather, the dead-on display. Welcome to the Paris Catacombs, a series of tunnels winding underneath the city. The Paris Catacombs are filled with the bones of Paris’s late citizens over the centuries. Why was this created? How long were bones being piled up in here? Who lurks down there today? All these questions will be answered, as long as you heed the warning that hangs over the public entrance: “Arrête! C'est ici l'empire de la Mort.” “Stop. This is the Empire of the Dead.” Origin and History The Paris Catacombs didn’t always hold the remains of past Parisians. They were originally quarries that had been abandoned by their miners. But in the late 18th century, they found a new purpose. Health crises and lack of space led to graveyards at full capacity; there was nowhere to put the growing pile of deceased. The decision was made to transfer the bones into the quarries under the cover of night. This was done in order to avoid hostile reactions from the remaining Paris population. The man in charge of these operations was Charles Axel Guillaumont, an inspector at the department of General Quarry Inspection. The first evacuations were made in the Saints-Innocents Cemetery from 1785 to 1787. The bones were brought to the quarries and were placed into galleries. “Galleries” typically means “places that display art.” Knowing this, it’s not surprising that the workers arranged the bones in strange configurations in the walls that are an art in their own right. The new home of the bones was officially recognized on April 7, 1786, as the “Paris Municipal Ossuary.” However, due to its somber nature, and the similarities it shared with ancient Romans, the public was quick to give it the nickname “Catacombs.” After the French Revolutions, the bodies were stacking up. Transfers and evacuations continued up until 1814, began again in 1840, and happened one more time during the Haussmannian Reconfiguration of Paris (1859-1860). The catacombs were opened to the public in 1809, and became popular tourist attractions when famous people at the time, such as Napoleon III, entered the tomb, dead or alive.
Present Day Flashforward to the 21th Century, and it’s still possible to visit the catacombs. Even though many of the tunnels are potentially dangerous, a 1.5 km passage is still open to the public. However, secret entrances to the catacombs still exist around the city. Some of the best stories come from when these entrances are used.
In a place as impressive as it is historic as the catacombs, there’s bound to be a few good stories and a few lost explorers that will chill you to the bone. Conclusion I first heard about the Paris Catacombs when I read a book called “The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones.” It was a good read (most books by Rick Riordan usually are), but I forgot about the Catacombs until recently. A series of deathly cold tunnels under a vibrant city like Paris definitely sounds like the setting of a great adventure story. (And movies such as "As Above, So Below" use it just like that.) It’s the home of millions of dead Frenchmen, each with their own untold tales lost to time. Who knows what other adventures and stories are waiting down there? They say, “Dead men tell no tales,” but this place has an empires-worth of legends left to be told.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
StaffLearn more about the people behind the stories by clicking the button below. Archives
October 2023
Categories |