The Paris Catacombs
The City of the Dead Beneath the Living
All About the Paris Catacombs
What’s more intriguing than 6 million skeletons chilling beneath the streets of Paris? Back in the late 18th century, the city was drowning in corpses, literally piling up everywhere. Enter Louis XVI—yes, the Louis who died by guillotine—who kicked off a project in 1776 to tackle this grim situation.
Just two years before, a massive sinkhole reminded Parisians of some old, abandoned tunnels on the city’s outskirts. These tunnels, dating back to the 14th or 15th century, were originally used for burying the dead. Louis had a brilliant idea: let’s move the bodies underground and reinforce these tunnels to make sure they don’t cave in again.
A trip to the Paris Catacombs is unlike any other adventure, and with our guide, you’ll be prepped for the wild legends and the chilling reality of these underground caverns.
The interesting part about this entire project has to do with the Catholic Church. Tampering with the dead is a real “no-no”. According to dogma, your body is extremely important to your journey into the after-life. Bodies had to be moved from Saint-Innocents cemetery to the underground ossuary under cover of darkness not to upset the community and church.
Imagine you went to visit Grandma one day and her grave was gone with a note that said, “We’ve moved locations! You can find us stacked up with millions of other bodies in the Municipal Ossuary.” It would be quite upsetting but the powers that be needed to take action. The graves in Paris were overflowing, and the city was growing. There’s so much to learn about as you explore beneath Paris and the best way is with a local guide who knows all about these famous catacombs.
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Paris Catacombs Tour with Secret Rooms & Privileged Access
Discover the darkness beneath the city of light. Leave the crowds behind and let your guide enlighten you with the mystical folklore surrounding the medieval tombs.
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