“Stop! Here is the empire of death” reads the entrance to the catacombs of Paris. And if you don’t want to see photos of some of the six million bodies buried here, don’t scroll on through these images.
Touring the catacombs has to be one of my favorite experiences in Paris. I have never seen anything like them. The catacombs were originally part of a vast network of underground quarry mines, but lost this function by the end of the 1700s. By this time, Paris had grown in population and the numerous graveyards throughout the burgeoning city were overflowing. For instance, hundreds of bones from the cemetery called “Les Innocents,” burst open into a local basement.
The local officials decided to transfer the bodies to the former mining tunnels of Paris. Soon, however, the director of the Paris Mines Inspection Service, named Louis-Étienne Héricart de Thury, decided to make things more decorative. In 1810, he ordered the bones to be stacked in arrangements that to us are completely macabre. He also filled the tunnels with quotes about death — in Latin from Vergil and the Vulgate bible, and many quotes in French.
The tunnels I saw went on for a half a mile, but these are just a fraction open to the public.
