The Paris Catacombs “The Empire of the Dead”

Halt! This is the Empire of the Dead

A brief history of the Catacombs The “Cemetery of the Innocents” in Les Halles had been in use for nearly 10 centuries and was becoming a growing source of infection for the local inhabitants. The Council of State (after numerous complaints) decided on November 9 th 1785 to prohibit any further use of the cemetery and to remove all its original contents. The disused limestone quarries under the City of Paris were chosen to house the remains. The quarries had recently undergone a general inspection in order to strengthen the public highways above them. The transfer of the remains began after the blessing and consecration of the site on April 7 th 1786 and the transfers continued until The bodies were always moved at Until 1814, the site received the remains from every cemetery in Paris; about 6 million bodies are at rest in the catacombs.

Some notable visitors In 1787 the Count d’Artois, the future Charles X, visited the catacombs In 1814, Francis I, the Emperor of Austria took a tour In 1860, Napoleon III visited with his son The catacombs opened to the general public in 1874

Quotations in the Catacombs "Le trépas vient tout guérir Mais ne bougeons d’om nous sommes Plutôt souffrir que mourir C’est la devise des hommes". Lafontaine. "Death comes to heal everything But we 're moving on Rather suffer than die This is the motto of men. " Lafountaine (French fabulist and poet)

“ Au son de la trompette les morts ressusciteront” “The sound of the trumpet raised the dead” "De quelque coté que tu te tournes la mort est aux aguets" "From whichever side you turn, death is lurking"

"Croyez que chaque jour est pour vous le dernier" Horace "Believe that every day that has dawned is your last" Horace (Latin lyric poet) “C'est par la malice du demon que la mort est entree dans le monde” “It is by the demon's malice that death entered into the world”

Bone Arrangements

Cataphiles Cataphiles are underground explorers who illegally tour the closed off parts of the catacombs. The maximum punishment for being caught in the catacombs is just €50 fine, so it is unsurprising that so many decide to tour the ossuaries this way. Recently, in an underground raid the “Police Nationale” found an entirely working cinema and nightclub in one of the chambers. In order to navigate their way around the tunnels people write the names of the streets above on the walls. A horror film about a group of cataphiles was recently made entitled “As Above So Below”.

Spring in the Paris Catacombs Richard LeGallienne-1913

“Perhaps I only dreamed, And yet to me it seemed That those old bones talked strangely each to each, Chattering together in forgotten speech—” “Faces went by, as haughty as of old, Wearing upon their heads the unminted gold That flowers in blackness only, And sad lips smiled softly, softly, Knowing well it was too late Even for Fate.”

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