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The Paris Catacombs
by Barb Danson
You will no doubt see the Eiffel
Tower, the
Louvre, and Notre-Dame on your next visit to Paris. How about something
different for your travel itinerary? Take a journey under the City of
Lights to the dark tunnels known as the Paris
Catacombs. Indulge your morbid curiosity. It is an
experience you will never forget.
The entrance is just across the street
from the Denfert-Rochereau
metro stop. After you purchase your ticket you will proceed through the
gate and descend 286 steps of a tight spiral staircase. When you reach
the bottom you will enter a portion of over two hundred miles of
tunnels that run below the streets of Paris.
Five minutes of walking and you will
encounter a sign indicating the beginning of what you came to see
– the catacombs. Are you ready for this? Arm and leg bones
are
stacked neatly like four-foot high woodpiles along both sides of the
dimly lit tunnel. Two rows of skulls run parallel within the stacks,
one at ankle height and the other at waist height. Occasionally there
is an artistic variation in the skull pattern, such as the shape of a
heart. At one point the cave extends well beyond the fence-like stack
of bones. A moldy green skull keeps watch over the entire space, which
is filled in with bones as far as the eye can see. The tunnels and
bones go on and on and on.
Why would someone want to see so many
bones?
Because it is unlikely you will ever again see so many bones in one
place at one time. It will make an impression on you. Your morbid
curiosity will stir. Who were these people? Where did all the bones
come from, and why are they in the catacombs?
In 1785 the city of Paris had more
dead
bodies than it could handle, so the government began transferring the
bones to underground quarry tunnels that dated back nearly two thousand
years. It took over two years to transfer the original three million
bodies, and today there are bones from over six million people
“buried” in the catacombs. What was Paris like when
all
these people were alive? What did they do for work? Did they have any
regrets? The questions will bubble forth for hours, days, weeks.
Plan carefully for your visit to the
catacombs, as the hours are limited. Tours are available Tuesday
through Friday 2PM-4PM and Saturdays and Sundays 9AM-11AM and 2PM-4PM.
While it may seem creepy at first, the bones won't hurt you. If
anything, they will feed your morbid curiosity and make you glad you
are alive and well...and in Paris.
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2007 - www.paris-hotel-by-district.com
CH.
All rights reserved.
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