The Catacombs of Paris are a famous underground ossuary in Paris, France. This list of cemeteries compiles notable cemeteries, Mausoleums and other places people are buried, worldwide. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Organized in a renovated section of the city's vast network of subterranean tunnels and caverns towards the end of the 18th century, it became a tourist attraction on a small scale from the early 19th century, and was open to the public on a regular basis from 1867. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Year 1867 ( MDCCCLXVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting
This cemetery covers a portion of Paris' former mines near the Left Bank's Place Denfert-Rochereau, in a location that was just outside the city gates before Paris expanded in 1860. The Mines of Paris (in French Carrières de Paris — "quarries of Paris" are constituted of a number of abandoned subterranean mines Year 1860 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year starting Although this cemetery covers only a small section of underground tunnels officially called "les carrières de Paris" ("the quarries of Paris"), Parisians today popularly refer to the entire network as "the catacombs".
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History
Most of Paris' larger churches once had their own cemeteries, but city growth and generations of dead began to overwhelm them. From the late seventeenth century, Paris' largest Les Innocents cemetery (near the Les Halles district in the middle of the city) was saturated to a point where its neighbors were suffering from disease, due to contamination caused by improper burials, open mass graves, and earth charged with decomposing organic matter. The Saints Innocents Cemetery or Cimetière des Saints-Innocents (Cimetière des Innocents is a defunct cemetery in Paris, named as a memorial to the story of Les Halles (pronounced /le al/ ( is an area of Paris, France, located in the 1er arrondissement.
After almost a century of ineffective decrees condemning the cemetery, it was finally decided to create three new large-scale suburban cemeteries and to condemn all existing within the city limits; the remains of all condemned cemeteries would be moved discreetly to a renovated section of Paris' abandoned quarries. The use of the depleted quarries for the storage of bones, based on the idea of Police Lieutenant General Alexandre Lenoir, was established in 1786 by his successor, M. Thiroux de Crosne, under the direction of Charles Axel Guillaumot, Inspector General of Quarries.
Remains from the cemetery of Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs were among the first to be moved. Bodies of the dead from the riots in the Place de Grève, the Hotel de Brienne, and Rue Meslee were put in the catacombs on August 28 and August 29, 1788. The Place de Grève was before 1802 the name of the plaza now the City Hall Plaza ( place de l' Hôtel de Ville) in Paris, France. Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) Year 1788 ( MDCCLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap
The catacomb walls are covered in graffiti dating from the eighteenth century onwards. Graffiti (singular graffito; the plural is used as a Mass noun) is the name for images or lettering scratched scrawled painted or marked in any manner on property Victor Hugo used his knowledge about the tunnel system in Les Misérables. Victor-Marie Hugo ( ( February 26, 1802 – May 22, 1885) was a French Poet, Playwright, Novelist Les Misérables (pronounced /le miːzeʁabl(ə translated variously from French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched In 1871 communards killed a group of monarchists in one chamber. The Paris Commune (La Commune de Paris was a Government that briefly ruled Paris from 18 March (more formally from 26 March) to 28 May During World War II, Parisian members of the French Resistance used the tunnel system. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The French Resistance is the collective name used for the French Resistance movements which fought against the Nazi German Also during this period, German soldiers established an underground bunker in the catacombs below Lycée Montaigne, a high school in the 6th arrondissement. The 6th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements (administrative districts of the capital city of France. (This bunker is not on the tourist route and can only be seen during an "unauthorized visit". )
The underground tunnels and chambers have long posed safety problems for construction in Paris. Quarries sometimes cave in, occasionally resulting in a hole in the ground above and causing damage to buildings. To prevent this, the IGC, Inspection générale des Carrières (General Inspection of the Quarries) was established in 1777 by the government in order to monitor the current quarries and prohibit the digging of new quarries. The IGC did, however, dig observation tunnels in order to provide themselves with better access to the quarries so that they might better monitor, repair, and map the consolidated quarries.
The monitoring and consolidation work has continued to this day. Because of the number of quarries, subway tunnels, train tunnels and sewer tunnels that have been dug underneath Paris, as well as the softness of the stone involved, extra caution is taken when new construction is attempted or new tunnels are dug. However, this did not prevent problems during the digging of Paris Métro Line 14. Paris Métro Line 14 of Paris metro crosses the center of Paris and currently runs between the Saint Lazare and Olympiades stations
In popular culture
Books
- In Umberto Eco's novel Foucault's Pendulum, the Paris catacombs were the resting place of a parchment concerning The Templars. Umberto Eco (born 5 January 1932 is an Italian Medievalist, semiotician, Philosopher, literary critic and Novelist, best Foucault's Pendulum (original title Il pendolo di Foucault) is a Novel by Italian Novelist and Philosopher Umberto The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici commonly known as the Knights Templar or the Order
- Many scenes in Bad Voltage, a 1980s cyberpunk novel by Jonathan Littell, take place in the catacombs. Cyberpunk is a Science fiction genre noted for its focus on " High tech and low life. Jonathan Littell (born 10 October 1967 in New York) is a Bi-lingual (English / French writer living in Barcelona.
- In Barbara Hambly's novel Those Who Hunt the Night, which takes place in 1907, two characters investigating the murders of London vampires descend into the catacombs. Barbara Hambly (born August 28, 1951) is an award winning and prolific American Novelist and Screenwriter within the genres of Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year There they find Brother Anthony, a 600-year-old priest turned vampire, living among the bones of the dead.
- In Robison Wells' novel The Counterfeit, the catacombs are the location of a fictitious Illuminati meeting place. Robison Wells (born April 1978 is an American Novelist He currently lives in Provo, Utah, with his wife and two children "Illuminata" redirects here For the 1998 John Turturro film see Illuminata (film. The main characters, Eric and Rebekah, are guided through the catacombs by three cataphiles.
- In Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Cask of Amontillado" (1846), the main character Montressor walls up another man inside a cavity, deep within some catacombs, which are described as being "lined with human remains, piled to the vault overhead, in the fashion of the great catacombs of Paris. Edgar Allan Poe (January 19 1809 – October 7 1849 was an American poet, short-story Writer, editor and Literary critic, " The Cask of Amontillado " (sometimes spelled " The Casque of Amontillado " is a Short story, written by Edgar Allan Poe and first published "
- Max Brooks, in his book World War Z, about a hypothetical zombie epidemic, refers to the catacombs as being used and extended by refugees. World War Z An Oral History of the Zombie War (abbreviated WWZ) is a Novel by Max Brooks which chronicles a fictional Zombie
- In Tess Gerritsen's novel Body Double, one of the main characters is lost in the Parisian Catacombs towards the beginning of the book. Dr Tess Gerritsen (born June 1953 is an international and New York Times -bestselling thriller writer published in over thirty countries
- In Interview with the Vampire, vampires are residents of the catacombs in Paris. Interview with the Vampire is a Vampire Novel by Anne Rice written in 1973 and published in 1976
- The climax of Marc D. Giller's science-fiction novel Hammerjack takes place in a secret facility located deep in the Paris catacombs.
- In Piratica III-The Family Sea, main characters Art Blastside, Ebad Vooms, Wild Mike and Apollo Leoni escape through the catacombs while running from French Soldiers.
- In William T. Vollmann's Rising Up and Rising Down: Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom, and Urgent Means. William Tanner Vollmann (born July 28, 1959 in Los Angeles California) is an American Novelist Journalist, Short The book begins with a section titled "Three Medititations on Death". The first meditation is called "Catacomb Thoughts", and is a reflection on the Catacombs of Paris during a visit Vollman made there.
- In Kresley Cole's novel A Hunger Like No Other vampires used the catacombs as a place of torture. Kresley Cole is a bestselling award-winning author of paranormal and historical romance novels
Films and television
- The cult classic Les Gaspards, known in English as The Holes, was filmed in and revolves around the catacombs. It was made in 1974 and stars a young Gérard Depardieu. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu CQ (born 27 December 1948) is one of France's most prominent actors
- The 2007 film Catacombs is set in the Paris catacombs, even though it did not receive permission to film there. Catacombs features the singer P!nk and the actress Shannyn Sossamon. Alecia Beth Moore (born September 8 1979 known professionally as P!nk is a two-time Grammy -winning American Singer-songwriter who gained prominence Shannon Marie Kahololani Sossamon (born October 3, 1978) better known as Shannyn Sossamon, is an American actress, Musician
- Though not truly filmed in the Parisian catacombs, a Hollywood set created to mimic the catacomb ambiance was used in the production of the music video Slither by the rock band Velvet Revolver. " Slither " is the second single by Velvet Revolver from their debut album Contraband. Velvet Revolver is a Hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum
- In the anime television series Noir, the fifth episode takes place in the Parisian catacombs. (anime in Japanese, is a Japanese animated Television series directed by Koichi Mashimo and written by Ryoe Tsukimura.
- In the Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the catacombs are used by Captain Pheobus and Quasimodo to find the Court of Miracles. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Notre-Dame de Paris is an 1831 French novel written by Victor Hugo.
- The Parisian catacombs was on ABC Family's Scariest Places On Earth. ABC Family is an American Cable television network currently owned by Disney-ABC Television Group, a division of The Walt Disney Company Scariest Places On Earth was an American Reality television show that dealt with reported cases of the Paranormal by sending an ordinary family to visit
Video games
- In the computer game Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars, the player has to enter the Paris catacombs via a manhole in order to find a clue that leads to the next part of the game. A video game is a Game that involves interaction with a User interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. Broken Sword The Shadow of the Templars (known as Circle of Blood in the United States) is a third-person, Point-and-click
- In Deus Ex, set in 2052, the player has to traverse part of the catacombs to reach another area of the city. Deus Ex (abbreviated DX and pronounced as ˌdeɪəsˈɛks day-uss ex) is a Cyberpunk -themed Action role-playing game developed The catacombs in the game's world are home to a clandestine group of French revolutionaries named Silhouette, who make their home in a German World War II bunker located in the catacombs. This is a list of organizations within the world of the futuristic Cyberpunk Computer game Deus Ex. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including A military bunker is a hardened shelter often buried partly or fully underground designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks A news terminal found in a building that serves as the entrance gives a brief history of the catacombs.
- In Medal of Honor: Underground, one of the missions involves traversing the catacombs in order to escape German authorities after a mission to steal weapons goes bad. Medal of Honor Underground is the direct sequel to the World War II hit Medal of Honor.
- In the Nancy Drew game Danger by Design, Nancy enters the catacombs to retrieve important clues. Nancy Drew (1930-present is an amateur sleuth, the fictional Heroine of a popular Mystery series, aimed at the children - young Danger By Design is the fourteenth installment in the Nancy Drew computer game series
- In Midnight Club II, the Catacombs play host to high speed automobile races, or can be used in a shortcut in above-ground races. Midnight Club II is the first sequel to Midnight Club Street Racing, published for the Xbox, Microsoft Windows, and PlayStation 2
- In Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown, the elite special forces team Rainbow must explore the Catacombs of Paris to locate and eliminate a nest of terrorists within. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Lockdown is the fourth game in the Rainbow Six series Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six is the title of John Clark's position as director of the fictional counter-terrorist unit Rainbow Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion
- In the Tomb Raider III expansion, The Lost Artifact, Lara Croft explores a hidden area deep within the catacombs in the Paris levels to recover the Hand of Rathmore. Tomb Raider III Adventures of Lara Croft is the third game in the Tomb Raider series and the Sequel to Tomb Raider
- "Return of The Phantom" (Microprose 1993) used part of the catacombs under the Paris Opera House as the setting for the game's maze and lair of Erik, The Opera Ghost.
See also
References
External links
- (English) Explographies.com : Catacombs of Paris - Cartography, maps & plans of the catacombs and underground quarries
- (English) Underground Paris — A Paris Catacombs virtual tour with photos
- (English) Urbanadventure — Information source on the catacombs with images, videos and maps
- (English) Catacombs of Paris — some useful information, description, links
- (English) "A tour of the dark world beneath the city of lights" by Murray Battle
- (French) Official website, opening hours, entrance fees
- (English) Catacombs of Paris Museum - The Catacombes de Paris official site, in English. The Museums of Paris can be sorted into three categories National museums - (N Museums of the City of Paris - (VP The private museums The Mines of Paris (in French Carrières de Paris — "quarries of Paris" are constituted of a number of abandoned subterranean mines
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