And during the midth century, merchants and residents began to complain of fetid, horrifying odors emanating from the Innocents and infecting surrounding buildings. To solve the problem of relocating the remains of millions of people from the Innocents, city planners and officials had to get creative. They identified a vast network of underground limestone quarries on the left bank— much of them then outside the bounds of Paris— as an ideal place to store the remains of millions of Parisians.
The transfers were completed at night in an attempt to fend off criticism or shock from residents and church officials. Workers heaped bones into quarry wells, then piled them in the galleries of old subterranean quarries.
In later decades and following the French Revolution, other graveyards and cemeteries in the city center were exhumed, with more remains transferred to the Catacombs. In , the Catacombs were opened to the general public, but only by appointment.
It quickly became a hit with locals and tourists, and even figures such as Napoleon III and his son visited the site. Part of the appeal was its mythical association with ancient Roman catacombs in nearby Italy.
Another part of it a nineteenth-century, Romantic interest in the macabre and the medieval. Of course, I highly recommend a visit to both. The minute circuit takes you down a long spiral staircase to enter the old limestone quarries. Some form crosses or other recognizable, symmetrical patterns, while others appear to be unceremoniously lumped together in tall stacks and lines, sometimes behind metal grates and under low ceilings.
Who are all these people, and what sorts of lives did they live? We know, as mentioned above, that many were plague victims. But beyond that, their particularity melts away, forming an uncanny sea of anonymous bones, eye sockets and grinning teeth.
According to Buzzfeed , legend has it that Philibert Aspairt died after getting lost in the underground maze of the Paris catacombs in — and his body wasn't found until eleven years after his death. Ironically and tragically, close to an exit.
Vice also reported that there were internet rumors that an Eastern European student named Masha was found dead in the Odessa catacombs two years after she wandered off during an unsanctioned New Year's Eve party in In later years this stone built much of the city. The mining utilised the technique of extracting horizontally along the vein, a process which left a honeycomb of tunnels as Paris grew.
Meanwhile, many cemeteries within the city limits had become filled to overflowing, resulting in unsanitary and unpleasant living conditions for those dwelling adjacent to them. The problem grew so acute that by , these cemeteries were being emptied for reasons of public safety. With the remains of some six million people requiring reburial, the only location with sufficient room to inter them all was the former mine tunnels twenty metres beneath the city.
Extending over 1. Yet those who make the descent today are by no means the first seekers after subterranean mystery, as some of the great names of French history have made the same journey since the 18th century. In , even Charles X and the ladies of his court ventured down there. There have been instances of people getting lost or trapped.
Someone even died while inside the Catacombs. That's why it would be best to go with someone who can get help in case something bad happens, or just don't go at all. Since some parts of the Catacombs are exposed to natural cracks in the rocks and underground water systems, it can flood with waist-deep water. There have even been some photos of rooms with tunnels that have turned into full wells. These dark wet rooms require explorers to walk through water to get into the next chambers.
Some people turn back at these points, but many rule breakers have continued onward into the dark. Once a guest pays the fee to visit the official Catacombs of Paris , they will quickly discover that the site is a whole lot of the same. The tour which lasts about an hour-long is not only enough time, but the clear paths, view of the illuminated water wells, and carved signs in the stone archways make it well worth the visit, and much safer than breaking the laws to travel into the complex cave system.
Faizah A. Basically, she's doing a lot of writing. However, when Faizah's not writing she's exploring, traveling, or taking photos. By Faizah Rajput Published May 25,
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