Paris Catacombs

Ben Jones

The CatacombsThe catacombs of Paris are an

underground ossuary, or place for storing bones from an overcrowded cemetery, from the late 1800’s. The network of tunnels once used for mining but later turned ossuary start in the south of the 14th Arr. and move throughout the whole district.

Tunnel history

When Paris began growing there was a high demand for limestone. Paris sat on a huge deposit that was extracted over 100’s of years to build some of the buildings in Paris today. The mines were used for a period of 400 years from the late 1200’s to early 1700’s before they were used as an ossuary.

Size

The Catacombs include at least 185 miles of tunnel, of which only a small portion is open to the public. There are also 1,300 miles of sewer tunnels and 124 miles of subway tracks in the Métro system, all of which intertwine.

HistoryOn the eve of Revolution, 1786, Parisian cemeteries had become filled to maximum capacity. The Government decided to relocate some of the graves to limestone quarries just outside city limits. Poorly buried bodies and mass graves in the cemeteries were causing health problems. They disregarded the deceases’ names and only left plaques to tell which cemeteries the bones had come from. By 1860, five to six million skeletons had been moved.

Urban ExplorationUrban exploration is prevalent in the Parisian catacombs. Hefty fines and heavy locks still do not do the trick. With many know and unknown entrances into the 180+ miles of tunnels it is easy to sneak in. In 2004 a cinema/restaurant was discovered in an uncharted part of the tunnels. It was most likely created many urban exploration clubs. It was fully functional and even had running water!

VisitorsTourists can visit the Catacombs today at the official entrance: Municipal Ossuary. The tours are open to the public and run daily. An outbreak of illegal vandalism was cause for the tunnels closure for two months but since then have had no closures.

Map of Paris

Catacombs

The catacombs fill in the tunnels from the unused limestone mines under Paris.

Shrines

There are few shrines honoring the dead in the catacombs. One major shrine was sculpted out of the bone remains. The bones were stacked orderly to form a sacred temple of the dead.

CitationsHenley, John. "In a secret Paris cavern, the real underground cinema ." The Guardian

UK. The Guardian, 08 Sep 2004. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/sep/08/filmnews.france>.

. "HISTORY OF THE CATACOMBS OF PARIS ." Les Catacombes de Paris . Catacombes de Paris , n.d. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://www.catacombes-de-paris.fr/english.htm>.

. "Quarries and Catacombs." Catacombs of Paris. Explorographies, 2001. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://www.carrieres.explographies.com/indexus.htm>.

Hammel, Katie. "Paris catacombs vandalized, closed for repair ." Gadling. AOL Inc., 22 Sep 2009. Web. 14 May 2012. <http://www.gadling.com/2009/09/22/paris-catacombs-vandalized-indefinitely-closed/>.

Promenader, The. "File:Paris 14e arr jms.gif ."Wikipedia.com. Wikimedia, 20 Oct 2006. Web. 15 May 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Paris_14e_arr_jms.gif>.

. "Put it in context." 1000Flights. Wordpress, 1 Aug 2010. Web. 15 May 2012. <http://1000fights.com/put-it-in-context/>.