Deep below the beautiful limestone buildings of Paris lie the artfully-arranged remains of millions of Parisians dating as far back as the 10th century.
"Stop! Here is the empire of death."
Limestone blocks from which Paris’ most iconic landmarks are built were extracted from quarries 20 meters below Paris from the 1300s until the mid-1700s. Once at the outskirts of the city, these quarries became a cause for concern as the city grew. Major sinkholes and collapsing roads finally led Louis XVI to enact laws prohibiting the underground quarries in 1776, and an inspector was named to protect and stabilize the abandoned tunnels.
Around the same time, Paris was facing a population problem… of both the living and the dead. Cemeteries were literally overflowing, causing hygiene and health issues in the city.
A clever solution by the Paris Parliament solved both problems: the old limestone quarries were consolidated and reinforced, then reimagined into a municipal ossuary. Dubbed “Catacombs” as a nod to the ossuaries of classical Antiquity, this space would be a place of respect and remembrance for the remains of these early Parisians.
In 1786 the Catacombs were consecrated by the Archbishop of Paris, and churches began to close cemeteries and relocate remains. Tunnels once used to hoist huge blocks of limestone up to the world above were now used to lower the inhabitants of Parisian cemeteries into the belly of the city. Work was done mainly at night, to be less disruptive and upsetting to the living. The initial relocation lasted 15 months, but additions continued until at least 1860.
The remains of several million Parisians were relocated to the Catacombs. Within the tunnels, bones from each cemetery are housed together and marked with a plaque of origin, but individual remains are mixed- men, women, and children, poor and rich, commoners and luminaries. Cemetery records confirm many famous Parisians of the time are among the remains, including scientists, writers, playwrights, ministers, politicians, and even the sister of Louis XVI.
In 1809 the ossuary opened to the public. Between 1810 and 1814, Louis-Ètienne François Héricart de Thury, the new director of the General Inspection of Quarries, led an effort to clean up and rearrange the remains. Over the years, the dreary piles of bones were sorted and stacked into tidy walls, which incorporated creative and amusing patterns, including a heart, a cross, and later even Paris landmarks such as Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. (Unfortunately, due to damage caused by inconsiderate visitors, the Notre Dame and Eiffel Tower arrangements are now off-limits to the general public.)
If you look up as you walk through the tunnels, you can still see a black line running along the ceiling: soot from the candles carried by early visitors. It would have been a thrilling experience at the time, not for the faint of heart, and it was considered a badge of honor to have signed one’s name in the Register of Visitors at the end of the visit. During an (illegal) evening soirée in 1897, orchestras nestled themselves within the tunnels and played classical works such as Saint-Saën’s Dance Macabre and Chopin’s Funeral March to especially-adventurous Parisian visitors.
But the intention of the Catacombs was never to be a ghastly spectacle or a macabre dare. It is a sacred space, and among the carefully arranged remains, de Thury installed plaques with poetry and scripture to aid visitors in their reverence and contemplation. The Catacombs are a place for the history of these early Parisians to be respected, preserved, and celebrated.
"So everything passes on the earth
Spirit, beauty, grace, talent
Such is an ephemeral flower
Overturned by the slightest wind."
Take a walk with Birkenstock.
