The Catacombs of Paris

Residents of the Catacombs of Paris- Joe De Sousa (Wikimedia Commons)

In 1774 the cemeteries of Paris were overflowing. It was decided that many of the bones would be removed to a former limestone quarry running under Paris. Chanting priests accompanied wagons draped in black carrying bones in the dead of night. Initially, the bones were dumped into piles, but in 1810 Louis-Étienne Héricart de Thury, who was the head of the Paris Mine Inspection Service, began renovations which would turn the Catacombs into a mausoleum, stacking skulls and femurs into organized patterns. The bones are classified by the cemetery from which they originated. Altogether the remains of between 6 and 7 million human beings make The Catacombs of Paris the world’s ossuary.  

Image by Rijin, obtained from Wikimedia Commons

I arrived at the catacombs on a warm, sunny, August morning. You carefully descend 130 narrow winding, limestone steps, are tight claustrophobic walls touch your shoulders as you make your tedious way 65 feet below ground. The temperature at the bottom is a shocking 57 degrees- a surprising contrast from the bright, sunny, bustle of the busy Paris Street above.  

Before you reach the ossuary, you encounter the stunning sculpture of a French fortress, Port-Mahon, carved from memory into the rock by a former quarry inspector named Decure, who was once incarcerated as a prisoner of war in Port Mahon by the English. 

Photo by Nico Pax, 2008 obtained from Wikimedia Commons

Occasionally you hear a rumble from above and feel vibrations as a subway passes over you, reminding you of just how deep underground you are. Sporadic water drips onto your head, as you encounter the tomb of Philibert Aspairt, a man lost in the catacombs in 1773 and found dead eleven years later. Aspairt had become lost in the catacombs and wandered the tunnels until finally expiring, just a few meters from an exit. Instead of going to the trouble of lugging his body above ground, he was laid to rest where he was found. It is said that the ghost of Philibert protects the catacombs. “Cataphiles”- a mysterious group of fans obsessed with the catacombs who like to hang-out and sometimes party in the catacombs, celebrate Philibert Aspairt on November 3, the anniversary of the day he went missing. In 2004 French police found a movie theater, complete with a large screen, projector, seats, and a full bar in the catacombs. French authorities were never able to find the trespassers.  It’s easy to see why folks are obsessed with the catacombs after witnessing human remains not just lining walls, but constructed into patterns sixty feet below street level in a limestone cave.

Photo by Shadowgate, obtained from Wikimedia Commons

Left photo by Shadowgate, right photo by Laika ac obtained Wikimedia Commons

After walking a few more feet an archway reading, “Arrête! C'est ici l'empire de la Mort” ("Stop! This is the Empire of the Dead") comes into view. After passing through the archway, you encounter neatly stacked skulls and femur bones stretching for 2624.67 feet (about 800 m) in geometric patterns. The bones are close enough to touch, and in fact, missing spots in the patterns indicate places where people have stolen the bones. Some of the bones have moss growing on them, some skulls contain a telltale bulge on the forehead, a deformity indicating that they were victims of the plague. Some skulls have perfectly round holes drilled into them, hinting at surgery, while other skulls have rougher, more jagged holes, indicative of bullet wounds.  

The Catacombs of Paris are a truly spooky place to visit. Your voice unconsciously hushes to a whisper as you view the remains of people who lived, died, hoped, and loved, just like you do now, and just as they are now dead, someday so will you be. Visiting the Catacombs of Paris is both a ghoulish treat and a poignant reminder to use your remaining time well. 

-fin