Catacombs in Paris: Catacombes de Paris

(Last Update: 07.09.2024) The subject of this article mind blowing... You enter through the small door of a modest building in the middle of Paris and enter a completely different world underground, a very special place in Paris where the catacombs are located. catacombsWe will enter together.

Catacombs (catacomb) catacombs It means and this is one of the most interesting places you can visit in Paris. Although it is described as an underground cemetery, I describe it as an underground place created with silent witnesses of death.Art galleryI evaluate it as ". You ask why?

To understand why, you can first Let's learn the story of Catacombes: This is actually one of the old quarries where the yellow limestone used in the construction of those buildings that make Paris Paris is extracted. Normally, it consists of kilometers long tunnels, but today only a 1,5 kilometer section can be visited. Since some sections are closed from time to time, you may not be able to see all the places in these photos, or you may visit different halls. And these places you visit are not just quarry tunnels, they are galleries arranged as underground cemeteries... Believe me, they are terrifying; Sometimes people freeze in front of what human beings do.

So how did this place become an underground cemetery? Let me tell:. As a result of complaints, the cemeteries where the dead were buried for hundreds of years in many parts of Paris began to be seen as the source of epidemic diseases over time. As a result of a decision taken on 9 November 1785 It was decided to evacuate.

The first cemetery to be evacuated was then today's Châtelet Chatelet-Les Halles between, now Forum des HallesIn the region that we can describe as the western side of Cimetiere des Innocents In other words, it became the Cemetery of the Innocents. Bones recovered from the Cemetery of the Innocents today Denfert-RochereauTransported to the quarries under one by one…

I think of the Catacombes in Paris as "not a cemetery"Art galleryThe reason why I named it "is that the bones moved were not carried out in a cemetery logic, but in an artistic way." installation placed with the logic of a kind of exhibition...

Moreover, this bone transportation process was not limited to a single cemetery; at that time, many cemeteries within the borders of Paris were expropriated and all the dead were moved here. Protection from epidemic diseases and the need for expropriation Although it is thought that not completely destroying these cemeteries, which were removed due to the reason for the death, is in a sense respect for the dead, they were once living and fleshly bodies, like you and me. human These dead who were now a artwork placed one by one in these old quarry galleries, and even today "gezilecek yerlerThe fact that it is among the ” is equally chilling.

Coming to Catacombes is very easy, but getting in is just a matter of time. Denfert-Rochereauto M4 or M6 metro as you can come up with the lines RER-B You can easily reach here via . Entrance to the Catacombes metro - RER of the station, Orly Airportbus leaving for OrlyBus It is on the green island in the middle, right across from the bus stop, so there is no problem with transportation.

But let's see You need serious patience to get in. Since visitors are allowed in in groups of 200, the queue moves very slowly. When I first came to Paris as a tourist, I learned that this was one of the most important places to see, but I was a little coy, thinking that seeing skulls and bones would not make me very happy. Then I tried to go a few times for friends' sake, but the long queues discouraged me every time.

After settling in Paris in 2012 and starting to write this blog about Paris in 2014, seeing the Catacombes became inevitable, but no matter how many times I tried, the long queues deterred me every time. In fact, when we went there thinking that we would buy our tickets online and avoid the queue, I gave up and came back because my dreams were shattered when I learned that the ticket did not give any priority; So to that extent…

I wasn't at all keen on seeing skulls and bones, but this blog would be incomplete without visiting and writing about the Catacombes. Finally, in my last attempt, on a Sunday morning when I woke up early, I managed to be there at 09:30, half an hour before it opened, and managed to get in after waiting “only” an hour :)

I think there is only an option to buy tickets online now. When you buy your ticket online, you also enter the day and time information. That's why I think there is no longer a long queue problem.

Catacombes is open every day of the week, 09:45-20:20, except public holidays and Mondays. You can get detailed information about Catacombes and current ticket prices from the official website link at the end of the article.

Before starting the trip to the Catacombes Denfert-Rochereau SquareYou enter from the green hut next to the small building in the park in the middle of , if you don't have a ticket, you buy a ticket. When we bought our tickets online and went, the officer at the door said that there was no separate queue and that everyone had to wait in the same queue; So, since we had to queue for nothing, we did not see any advantage of online tickets at that time; Now there is...

This is very important: catacombes Those with claustrophobia should not travel. In fact, if you think it would be scary to be among plenty of skulls and skeletons, this place is not suitable for you. Moreover Catacombes may not be a recommendable place for your child. But if you still want him to think that death is a fact of life, I leave the choice to you. Also You should take into account that the average temperature inside is 14 degrees in summer and winter…

To descend into the tunnels, narrow, winding stairs 131 digits You need to get off. Some parts of the corridors are very narrow and some parts are very low. If you are tall, you should be careful not to hit your head. This is a trail of approximately 2 kilometers and it takes approximately 45 minutes to visit.. Again at the end of the trip 112 digits You have to climb up a narrow, winding staircase. One of the most important issues is that there is no cloakroom inside, which will cause you trouble if you have a load. Also inside toilet There is no; I recommend that you adjust yourself accordingly, taking into account both the time you will wait in line and the time period you will spend inside.

If you manage to get in despite all these negativities, you pass through the turnstiles and go down the narrow stairs, dizzy, underground. First, you reach the gallery with large photographs that tell the story of the Catacombes. As you move inland from here, you may encounter a periodic exhibition.

On the day we visited, we came across an exhibition that amazed us. What impressed me was not the findings I saw, but the information I learned: There was a sea in Paris 45 million years ago! I learned this information in Catacombes, where I came to see skulls and skeletons. Life is really interesting.

I think the most impressive of the few finds on display was the giant seashell. Of course, people are surprised to see on the maps on the walls how far the sea has advanced into Paris throughout history, and that for a while it was completely covered by sea. When you remember the fact that the seas are starting to rise again due to global warming today, you cannot help but think about our helplessness on earth.

After this gallery, you start to move through the tunnels with enthusiasm. You progress, you progress, you progress, there is neither a skull nor a bone. “I wonder if it is exhibited in a small place?” After walking a little further, you reach the first gallery with the skeletons and you are astonished, horrified and surprised by what you see.

Millions of bones, lined up one by one like beads, arranged in various compositions along the tunnels, It's just waiting for you. Like I said, this is it. It's not like visiting a cemetery; A very different experience where death becomes normal and the spiritual becomes objectified. It's not scary, but it's creepy. Naturally, you cannot believe that these bones were once human beings like you and me, or if you do, you will be filled with a strange feeling. Not one, not a thousand, but millions of bones and skulls... One wonders about the mental structure of the people who made this.

While visiting this place, you will see that famous names in the history of France were taken from their graves by an official decision and given a state ceremony. Pantheonof moving to logic Now you can understand better. Although - as far as I know - the grave of Adnan Menderes was moved last time in our country and I had goosebumps at that time, it seems that life somehow does not leave the dead alone in his grave; Maybe it's really just a skull and a skeleton in the grave... These are very complicated issues...

Your labyrinth-shaped track always leads you towards the exit in a one-way direction throughout the trip, and when you reach the last staircase, you climb up the stairs again and again. When you exit, you find yourself on a completely different street. Rue Rémy DumoncelYou find it in . This is Alésia metro station (M4) is a narrow street and the Catacombes souvenir shop welcomes you right in front of you. If you go right to the main street and turn right, you will go back to where you started. Denfert-Rochereau If you turn left, there is a park that I like. Montsouris ParkYou reach .

These are the three cemeteries I recommend visiting in Paris: Père Lachaise Cemetery, Montmartre Cemetery ve Montparnasse Cemetery I think it would be better if we add Catacombes to our list. But like I said To visit this place, you need to be willing to wait 1 to 3 hours in the entrance queue and then successfully overcome the following adverse travel conditions and complete the track. It's so hard to overcome all of this, I think One of the 300.000 people who visit this place every year I think those who have succeeded should be given medals one by one :) Of course, it is easier for those who buy their tickets online…

Visiting such places and facing death made me feel less like "we are going to die after all" and more like "Life is short, whatever you want to do, do it quickly." always gives the message. Please do not postpone your trip to Paris any longer, do your best to experience the world as best as possible for these three days...

Wishing you a beautiful life.

Pleasant trips, pleasant discoveries.

Web address: catacombes.paris.fr/

Address: 1 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014

Paris Cemeteries:

• Père Lachaise Cemetery
• Montmartre Cemetery
• Montparnasse Cemetery