THE CATACOMBS OF PARIS

Some twenty meters below the dazzling landscape of Paris hides a dark and
terrifying secret: the remains of some six million Parisians buried in the Paris
Catacombs.

The history of the Paris Catacombs dates to the end of the 18th century, when,
due to the serious health problems caused by the cemeteries of the city of
Paris, it was decided to move their bones to an underground place. Thus, the
Paris catacombs or the Paris Necropolis became one of the most famous
cemeteries in Paris. I don't know how you imagine them, but they are a
network of tunnels and underground rooms not suitable for claustrophobic
people.

HOW THE CATACOMBS BEGIN TO FORM?

Faced with this problem, the Parisian authorities chose an easily accessible
place to move the bones, located on the outskirts of the capital: the old
quarries of Tombed-Issoire.

The first evacuations took place between 1785 and 1787 and affected the most
important cemetery in Paris, the Saints Innocents Cemetery, closed in 1780
after remaining in uninterrupted use for more than ten centuries.

Graves, mass graves and ossuaries were emptied, and the bones were
transported at nightfall to avoid protests from the Parisian population and the
Church. The bones were then unloaded through two quarry service shafts, then
distributed and stacked in the galleries by the stonemasons. The transfers
continued after the Revolution, until 1814, with the elimination of the parish
cemeteries in the center of Paris. It was already considered the "Municipal
Ossuary of Paris" on April 7, 1786, and it was then that the mythical term
"Catacombs" was appropriated, referring to the catacombs of Rome.

The surprising thing about the history of the Paris catacombs is that from 1809
they are open to the public by appointment. At the end of the tour, a guest
book was made available to visitors to collect their impressions and it filled up
very quickly due to the great interest that this visit aroused both among the
French population and among foreigners. Over the years, the ossuary received
the visit of many famous people: In 1814, it was visited by the Emperor of
Austria, Francis I, and in 1860, it was Napoleon III who toured it accompanied
by his son. Today the Paris Catacombs receive 300,000 visitors a year.
 WHERE ARE THE PARIS CATACOMBS LOCATED?

The exact address of the Paris catacombs is Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-
Tanguy, 1, Paris and the hours of the Paris catacombs are from Tuesday to
Sunday: from 10:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Last access at 7:00 p.m. :30). You
have to keep in mind that it is closed on Mondays.

If you go by metro: Denfert-Rochereau, lines 4 and 6.

RER: Denfert-Rochereau, line B.

If you go by bus: lines 38 and 68.

What is near the catacombs? The Montparnasse Tower (1.2 km), The
Luxembourg Gardens (1.5 km), the Pantheon of Paris (1.7 km), the Church of
Saint Sulpice (1.9 km) or the Cluny Museum (2 km).

The official visit takes place in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, but this part
open to the public represents only 0.5% of the "Paris underground quarries"
found in the 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, 15th, and 16th arrondissements. Visiting
these galleries was prohibited by ministerial order on November 2, 1955,
although this illegal practice is still common.

The interior is so complex that it is very easy to get lost in the tunnels despite
being marked with plaques. Since access to the area was prohibited, there is
special police patrolling the catacombs. Accessing them illegally carries a fine
and there are secret entrances throughout the city through the sewers or the
subway.

WHAT IS THE MOST CURIOUS THING ABOUT THIS PLACE?

-In 1774 there was a serious collapse in the Rue Denfert-Rochereau and there
was a 300-meter sinkhole. It is September 15, 1776, with a decree of Louis
XVI when any extraction of materials under public roads was definitively
prohibited. The history of the catacombs is closely linked to these quarries and
that is why on your visit to the catacombs you will be able to see the names of
the streets that are just above and marks of the work of those quarries.

– In 2002 the Catacombs were linked to the Carnavalet Museum (History of

Paris), which continues to be valued.

–Someone set up an illegal cinema inside. In 2004, employees of an electric

power company went down into the catacombs accompanied by the police
while tracking down an electricity theft. Some 50 meters deep, under the
Trocadero square next to the Eiffel Tower, they found something totally
unexpected: a huge, fully equipped 400-square-meter cinema. It had a huge
screen, furniture in perfect condition and even a wet bar.
It had a complete electrical installation and a surveillance camera team. When
the police returned there again after a few days to continue their investigation
of the place, they found a note saying: 'Don't try to find us.'