Skulls Lining Underground Paris

On By cmgboverseas

Tour of the Catacombs:

Yesterday, I toured the tunnels of Paris 20 metres below ground with Sierra and Heather (friends from Trent University on exchange here).  Brianna and Greg were busy, so the three of us headed into Paris to tour around. The line up was long (2.5 hours) but it was mild out and the bakery was nearby to make trips to as a break.  We visited the site that holds the remains of over 6 million Parisians that died from the Plague and the French Revolution. Below are the stairs leading us down and one of the first tunnels. The black line on the roof was used to guide workers with their torches who were digging out the tunnels, long before a flashlight was invented.

“The Catacombs are located twenty metres below ground, this ossuary contains the remains of millions of Parisians, transferred there gradually between the late eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries as graveyards were being closed because of the risk they posed to public health. The first of these was the cimetière des Innocents graveyard in 1786 in what is now the district of Les Halle.”

“The Catacombs represent the interface between the history of Paris and the Earth’s geological evolution. Forty-five million years ago, Paris and the surrounding area were covered by a tropical sea. Dozens of metres of sediment accumulated on the sea bed, forming over lime the limestone deposits visible in the Catacombs today. Geologists worldwide call this period in the history of the world the Lutetian period, after Lutetia, the Gallo-Roman name for Paris.”

Who knew Paris was built from stones quarried right underneath the city – some even date back to Roman times. So the underground of Paris has more holes than Swiss cheese – tunnels equalling about 200 miles long in total.  It was narrow, quiet and damp in the tunnels. There was an informative audio guide that we are listening to in the photo above.  Here is the abridged story behind the reason for the catacombs:
As the city expanded, so did its cemeteries, which became seriously overcrowded. This turned into a major health hazard, when decomposing bodies in shallow graves started oozing scary liquids. On one occasion a house cellar collapsed under the pressure of the masses of human remains in the neighbouring cemetery. Many people were affected by diseases originating from the unhygienic burial practices of the era.
So eventually, by a decree in 1785, these city cemeteries were closed and all remains were to be removed and reburied in sections of the underground quarry tunnels under the city, safely away from the citizens’ lives above ground. Over the following decades, the remains of millions of dead were relocated to the old quarries in the south of the city. Priests would start the procession of carts (loaded with bones) to the tunnels at dusk while they sang hymns in their black robes.

What rich history here in Paris!

Thanks for reading this far 🙂 And thank you to Sierra and Heather for making it happen!

Mo

One thought on “Skulls Lining Underground Paris”

  1. Stormie Waylng's avatar Stormie Waylng

    Fascinating. What a great opportunity to surround yourself in the history of the city. We live in a very sterile time compared to the early days of Paris ( thank goodness). We take a lot for granted in comparison.
    Love
    Charlie & Stormie
    💖💖

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