Millions of visitors flock to the Eiffel Tower and The Louvre every year. And, while I have visited those sites too, the Paris Catacombs have also been on my list for a while. This is, in fact, the hidden Paris that not every visitor makes time to see and they provide a mesmerizing ancient history lesson.

Paris Catacombs
A section of quarry.

Today, we know that lining a grave before inserting the casket is essential, but generations ago, people didn’t yet have that knowledge. In 1780, the City of Paris closed down the Cemetery of the Innocents. The story goes that there was so much disease in the air that fruit left out would spoil in less than a day. I don’t know if that’s an old wives’ tale or not, but the city felt the neighborhoods near the cemetery were in danger and that conditions were unsafe. Five years later, in 1785, a government decree required all the remains in that cemetery to be moved.

Paris Catacombs
Displayed with artistic reverence.
Paris Catacombs
Me next to a stack for a height reference.

Below the city there were limestone quarries from which people mined all the limestone that built the city of Paris. Making use of what was already available deep, deep below the city, the human remains were moved there in stages. Over time, many cemeteries moved remains there as well. In 1810, Hericart de Thury, Inspector General of the Quarries, turned the area into a proper monument by grouping the remains and organizing it into an artistic display.

Paris Catacombs
The beautiful structure of the displays as the idea of Monsieur de Thury in 1810.
Paris Catacombs
“The eyes of God are fixed on the just and his ears are open to their prayers.”
Paris Catacombs
In memory of some of the citizens killed during the French Revolution.
Paris Catacombs
The number of people interred here is staggering.

Estimates are very rough. Perhaps there are two million Parisians down there? My ticket included an audioguide and the walk through the tunnels took about 90 minutes. Today, there are memorials to those killed during the French Revolution and so much more. Visiting this place is done with reverence and respect, as with any monument. It is not ghoulish. People are (for the most part) well-behaved and touching the remains is strictly forbidden.

This piece of hidden Paris is an unusual way to pay homage to those who helped establish a great city. Visiting the Paris Catacombs may not be as elegant as visiting the Eiffel Tower, but it is every bit as fascinating.

Familiarizing yourself with the heart of a community’s history can be done well with a walk through its oldest cemetery. Here are a few of my favorites.