Paris Catacombs, with Indiana Jones

   

 I had not heard much concerning the catacombs of Paris.  They were mentioned in my guidebook as a must see, but so were other must see items, that were not must see's to me, like the Champs Elysees or the old sewers beneath Paris.  Plus, anytime I walked in the area, the wrapping around blocks line dissuaded me from entering.  However, the immediacy of my friend leaving and checking off of to do's on her bucket list persuaded me to join.

You are invited to never touch and not smoke in the ossuary...wit somewhere you can't smoke in Paris?

For those Indiana Jones fans out there, do you remember the scene in the first movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, when Marion and Indie are sealed in the Well of Souls, forced to fight off snakes, and, if you can remember, a crypt of endless skeletons? Okay so there were no torches, and no snakes coming out of the mouths and eyes skeletons, but the intensity and all encompassing nature of the Paris catacombs paralleled that of the Well of Souls scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark.  Guidebook one, Ingrid zero.

Once past the hour long line to get in, one descends a seemingly endless spiral stairwell, eventually reaching the depths of original Paris, Lutecia, as the Roman called it.  On a hot day, the catacombs are a delight, with temperatures hanging around 15 degrees Celsius, year round.  The catacombs were created with the help of pre-existing archways built during the Roman era.  In order to create the catacombs, workers worked with the pre-existing archways, supporting them with cement and carving out other areas to create the present day maze of tunnels.  

An opening (tunnel) begun in 1777 by Decure, and finished by Beausejour in 1789

The palace on the island of Minorca.  Sculpture created the Decure, the man obove.  Minorca is where he was held prisoner.  Decure died from an opening caving in on him before completing the tunnel.

And how were these ancient remains discovered? In many cases, a bell hole would begin between two levels of ancient archways, as the picture shows below.  Once begun, the hole would continue upward, slowly, until finally reaching the surface.  Paintings from the time show houses, restaurants, and hotels falling into the earth, due to the formation of bell holes. 

Sucks to be that house.

The history, in addition to the formation of the catacombs, is just as fascinating.  The catacombs were created at the end of  the 18th century, as a dumping ground for the over-filled mass graveyards of Paris, beginning with the Cimietere des Saints-Innocents, the largest and oldest cemetery of Paris, located in the Les Halles district.  In addition to overcrowding, the cemetery closed its doors due to public health issues.  Overcrowding of the cemetery even lead to certain bones of the dead being stored in the attics of buildings surrounding the square/cemetery.  

Cemetary of the Innocents, Les Halles, dead center of Paris!

From 1786 to 1788, bones from multiple mass burial grounds in Paris were transferred to the catacombs, called the ossuary (ossuary meaning a mass burial grave).  As the city continued to enlarge, with space for the dead becoming increasingly limited, a second transfer of bones from various city cemeteries occurred between 1842 and 1860.  Initially the bones were thrown into the ossuary willly nilly.  In the 19th century, in order to preserve the sanctity of the dead, the bones were neatly arranged.  The catacombs were opened to the public at this time as well.

Bodies from the Cemetery of the Innocent, oldes cemetery in Paris

Later cemetery

The Paris catacombs is the largest (population wise) catacombs in the world, with roughly five million bodies with the halls and walls.  

"Samaritan's Fountain"
Spring coming up from below, surrounded by bones from Cemetery of the Innocent.
Being so far below the surface, are not far below, and pretty much everywhere.

"The Quarrymen's Footbath"
Another spring of groundwater discovered by workers.
Used to help in the making of cement to fortify the tunnels.