Catacombs of Paris | A Crypt Buried the Dead on the Walls
Catacombs of Paris: It’s fascinating to imagine seeing tombs with dead people inside, however, a difference would be the crypts are buried open on the walls, where you could apparently see the skulls of the dead. The concept of it is scary and captivating at the same time.
Imagine you have encountered a house where you are looking at the skulls of the dead around your surroundings, the visuals are scary, isn’t it? A city popular for its romantic vibes and known as the city of love- Paris has some dark secrets to it.
It is concealed underneath the streets.
In this place, we will learn about the history of the catacombs of Paris, which will leave you in absolute shock!
Catacombs of Paris History
They retain the corpses of over 6 million dead Parisians. Back in the 18th century, Paris’s graveyards were running out of space, due to which some bodies weren’t even properly buried and became the cause of deadly diseases.
Soon after, the Parisian officials decided to denounce the city’s cemeteries and moved them to underground pits. Amazingly they successfully organized the transportation of more than 6 million bodies underground via carts and left them in a peaceful place.
The remaining bodies out of 6 million were dispersed all over the tunnels, mostly placed inside the burial chambers known as ossuaries. Actually, most tunnels encompass the catacombs of Paris.
The tunnels were dug by the Parisian mine diggers before some of them were used as cemeteries. It is estimated that the tunnel is 320 km long, however, not all of them have been recorded, and the rest is an unmapped territory. Wonder what’s more is hidden down the catacombs of Paris.
Catacombs of Paris Facts
Seemingly, for some, local swimming pools aren’t enough, so they would go to the depths of the catacombs of Paris and take a dip into the secret, unknown pools of water, which is widely popular amongst the cataphiles as ‘spur-of-the-moment’ swimming pools.
Obviously, you need connections to explore these kinds of places.
According to reports, you may need to navigate through muddy waters and cramped tunnels that can make you feel claustrophobic before reaching the oasis. In this particular scenario, the oasis is a swimming area found within a large hidden cemetery.
In 2004, a group of police were starting a training exercise in the catacombs of Paris and discovered something entirely spooky.
While exploring the isolated area of the enormous tunnel system, they stumbled upon a huge cinema room, fully furnished with a screen, apparatus, and a bar & restaurant that was all enabled by professionally connected phones and power lines.
What’s more shocking was that the officers found pictures of them, captured by a secret camera as they passed the entrance.
No one knows to this date who was responsible for this, and the note has also been found which read, “Don’t try to find us.”
Before catacombs took the lead, Paris’s earliest popular spot to bury the dead was Les Innocent. It was the city’s most used graveyard and the oldest one. As mentioned above, the place became so crowded it became nearly impossible to bury the bodies.
People from the neighborhood started complaining as the dead bodies’ strong smell started covering the entire city. In 1780, people started disinterring the bodies from the old graveyards and burying them in the catacombs of Paris.
Cataphiles- the group of urban explorers with a predilection for spending extensive time in the profundity of the catacombs for their own amusement and escapade.
Though they might sound like a contemporary-day trend, the cataphiles deeply respect the dead and the tunnels and even created a Paris catacomb map to avoid getting lost inside the huge boneyard.
They are members, and information about how to acquire entrée to the catacombs of Paris is kept within the tightly bound group. They have established their own communities within the old mines and tunnels for several years.
Upon exploring, it came to light that apart from the dead, rot, and bones, this place offered pretty good wines back in 2017.
A gang of French robbers drilled through the walls of catacombs into an adjacent vault. It contained 300 bottles of vintage wine. The thieves escaped with all the wines worth €250,000.
Catacombs of Paris Deaths
Earlier, at the time of the underground catacombs, a doorkeeper and janitor for the Val-De-Grace hospital, named Phillips Aspairt, endeavor into the catacombs of Paris through an available staircase from the hospital’s patio.
Though he never returned. When his body was discovered, it was revealed that he had been missing for 10-12 years. What was even worse- His body was discovered just a short distance from the “exit.”- was so close to getting out yet couldn’t make it. He has been since known as the Paris Catacombs lost a man.
Last year 2 teenagers got lost in the catacombs and were found 3 days later. They didn’t face any harm. However, they were immediately taken to the hospital for hypothermia treatment. The reason behind how they got there is still a question.
Two Paris catacombs movie have been made- As Above, so below, and Catacombs- inspired by the incidents and the history. You can also read Fontanelle cemetery in Naples, Italy
Catacombs of Paris Entrance Fee
The catacombs of Paris tickets for the catacombs and exhibition type of visit would cost €13, and coupled tickets catacombs of Paris cost €17.
FAQs
There is a special underground place in Paris where visitors can go. It’s called an ossuary and is found in a network of tunnels 20 meters below the ground. The ossuary contains the remains of millions of people from Paris from long ago, and people can understand their history by visiting.
The Catacombs of Paris is an underground place many people want to see. A special tour called “restricted access” lets individuals see different areas of the Catacombs that are usually off-limits. This is a special opportunity for visitors to explore and learn more about this fascinating place. However, due to safety concerns and the delicate nature of the Catacombs, access is restricted and controlled. People who want to take this tour must follow the rules and guidelines carefully and ensure they have a safe and enjoyable time.
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