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Origin and history

The underground quarries of the Capuchins are ancient limestone quarries operated between the 12th and 17th centuries, located under the 13th, 14th and 5th arrondissements of Paris. They extend under Cochin Hospital, Port Royal Boulevard and Health Street. These galleries, about 1.2 km long and located 18 metres deep, are now maintained by a non-profit association, SEADACC, which has developed them as an eco-museum accessible by reservation for small group tours.

The site is managed by SEADACC (Société d'études et d'aménagement des anciennes quarries des Capucins), heiress of SEHDACS founded in the late 1970s by Alain Clément. This association obtained the ranking of certain parts, such as the fountain of the Capuchins, and provides restoration, historical research and guided tours. The course presents various types of consolidations carried out in Paris from the late eighteenth century to the 1940s, illustrating the evolution of career stabilization techniques.

The Capuchin quarries offer a unique testimony of underground limestone mining in Paris, a material essential to the construction of the city. Their preservation and enhancement by volunteers make it possible to raise public awareness of this unknown heritage, while documenting the old methods of extraction and securing the soil. However, the site remains partially accessible, in a strictly supervised setting for conservation reasons.

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