Catacombs of Paris
The city ossuary in Paris (1, Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tangy, previously Place Denfert-Rochereau , 14th arrondissement ) is referred to as the Catacombs of Paris (French: catacombes de Paris ) , which began in 1785 when many Paris parish cemeteries were closed in a part of the disused underground quarries of Petit-Montrouge in the south of Paris beyond what was then the city limits . By the beginning of the 19th century, the bones of around 6 million Parisians had been transferred to the catacombs .
The district of Petit-Montrouge , which used to belong to the municipality of Montrouge , was incorporated into the newly created 14th arrondissement of Paris in 1860.
Quarries
Over a span of nearly 2,000 years, Paris' underground provided both the stones needed to build the city, as well as plaster of paris and clay. The mining was initially carried out in open mines and, since the 12th century, increasingly underground, at a depth of 5 to 35 m. In this way, an underground network of tunnels about 300 km long was created under almost all of today's Parisian districts (except the 1st to 4th ) . In addition, the side corridors, which on the official plans of the Inspection des Carrières (German general inspection of the quarries) are listed as Carrière inexplorée (German unexplored quarry), are estimated to be around 100 km in length.
Extract from the plan by Jouvin de Rochefort, 1672
The dangers that arose from the massive undercutting of the city meant that the first measures were taken from 1600 with the aim of filling up the tunnels. But these had no consequences. Only after a decree of April 30, 1772 were the first plans drawn up, whereupon the unexpected dimensions of the cavities discovered under the customs wall (French: Mur des Fermiers généraux ) led to massive complaints from the concerned population.
On April 4, 1777, the Inspection Générale des Carrières was launched. In 1782 Sébastien Mercier wrote: "On the plains adjacent to Mont-Rouge you can see these wheels turning, which are 25 to 30 feet in diameter and which exhaust the quarries."
After the subsoil had given way in various places due to the lack of securing of the cavities when the limestone was excavated and several streets had collapsed, the quarries were closed a short time later and used as an ossuary. Since then, the former main entrance to the quarries and the current official access to the catacombs ( see below ) has also been called Barrière d'enfer ("Hell's barrier").
Use for burial
Another problem arose at the end of the 18th century: the growing population, epidemics and famine led to overcrowding in Parisian cemeteries. The rest periods for the deceased were noticeably shortened because space urgently had to be created for new dead people. The exhumation of only half-decomposed corpses led to catastrophic hygienic conditions. In 1779 several residents of the Rue de la Lingerie allegedly choked on the stench that wafted over from the neighboring Cimetière des Innocents . The authorities ordered that the cemetery should be cleared and closed. The bones exhumed there were transferred to the catacombs from 1785. They were sunk into the depths through a shaft in Avenue René-Coty . The cemeteries of St-Eustache de Paris and Saint-Landry were also later cleared. At first a little disorganized in the procedure, the gravedigger finally began to layer skulls and bones and give them a decorative element through a certain arrangement. Memorial plaques and wooden crosses marked the cemeteries of origin.
Todays situation
Today a small part of the catacombs - about two kilometers - has been developed as a museum and is accessible to visitors (see the official website link ). However, the main part remains inaccessible because it was used to lay utility lines. One wing of the catacombs belongs to the Banque de France , which has housed the gold treasure of the French national bank there.
The entrance to the publicly accessible catacombs is on Place Denfert-Rochereau . There the descent takes place over 130 steps underground. The temperature in the catacombs is 14 ° C. At the first sightseeing points of the route, former underground quarries can be visited. After passing the entrance to the ossuary, the stacked bones and skulls can be seen at other viewing points. After climbing 83 steps, street level is reached again. The exit is on Rue Rémy Dumoncel. It takes around 45 minutes to walk the two-kilometer route through the publicly accessible catacombs.
Cataphiles
The French word Cataphiles (French: "Katakombenliebhaber") describes a subculture scene that illegally explores or uses the unsecured tunnels. Paris police officers are specially assigned to work underground.
Illegal researchers
To date, a large part of the underground facilities (which are not just “real catacombs ”) have not been fully explored and mapped. This is what hobby researchers are concerned with. Although their activity is illegal, the police know a hard core of around 150 people personally and enjoy a trust that sometimes protects against criminal prosecution. The results of such research are circulating in the scene and partly on the Internet.
Underground culture
Another group of Cataphiles uses the underground facilities for illegal concerts, parties or black masses. These "cultural events" are rigorously fought because they violate many protective provisions (such as fire protection , escape routes, etc.). In the past, at such illegal events, installations worth preserving were often damaged, old graves desecrated or caves left as garbage dumps.
Cinematic reception
The 2014 horror film Catacombs is about a fictional group of young researchers and their expedition into the unexplored parts of the Paris Catacombs .
literature
French
- Emile Gérards: Paris basement. Garnier frères, Paris 1908 (reprint. DMI édition, Torcy 1991, ISBN 2-84022-002-4 ).
- Barbara Glowczewski, Jean-François Matteudi: La Cité des cataphiles. Mission anthropologique dans les souterrains de Paris (= Sociologies au quotidien. Vol. 9). Éditions Librairie des Méridiens, Paris 1983, ISBN 2-86563-074-9 .
- Alain Gribel: Rue des Catacombes, Côté sud. Self-published, Paris 1996.
- Patrick Saletta: A la découverte des souterrains de Paris. SIDES, Antony 1990, ISBN 2-86861-075-7 .
- René Suttel: Catacombes et carrières de Paris. Promenade sous la capitale. SEHDACS, Paris 1986, ISBN 2-9501258-0-8 .
German
- Günter Liehr (text), Olivier Faÿ (photos): The underground of Paris. Place of smugglers, revolutionaries, cataphiles. Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-86153-205-0 .
- Peter Schwindt: Whispering Shadows (= Libri Mortis. Vol. 1). cbj fantasy, Munich 2010, ISBN 978-3-570-40057-9 .
Web links
- The official website of the Catacombs in Paris (English and French)
- Map of the entire network on the Internet (French)
- Virtual tour with Cataphiles atmosphere (French)
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 48 ° 50 ′ 2.4 ″ N , 2 ° 19 ′ 56.4 ″ E