Origin and history
The catacombs of Paris, originally underground limestone quarries used to build the city, were transformed into a municipal ossuary at the end of the 18th century. Faced with the saturation of the Parisian cemeteries, especially that of the Saints-Innocents, and the problems of unsanitaryness, the authorities decided in 1785 to transfer the bones to these abandoned galleries. The project, inspired by ancient necropolises, was led by Charles-Axel Guillaumot, Inspector General of Quarries, and blessed in 1786. The transfers, organized with a solemn religious ritual, lasted until 1861, draining the remains of millions of Parisians, including personalities of the French Revolution.
The Saints' Innocent Cemetery, which has been in operation since the fifth century, has become an unsanitary home over the centuries because of the overpopulation and decomposition of corpses. The mass graves, more than ten metres deep, caused toxic fumes, contaminating even the nearby cellars. In 1780, the collapse of a wall highlighted the urgency of the situation. Police Lieutenant Lenoir then proposed to empty the intramural cemeteries, beginning with the Saints-Innocents, whose bones were the first to reach the quarries of the Tomb-Issoire, located under the current 14th arrondissement.
The layout of the catacombs was entrusted to Louis-Étienne Héricart de Thury from 1809. He structured the bones in decorative alignments, added plates engraved with literary or philosophical quotations, and organized the first regular public visits. The site, originally reserved for an elite, became accessible to the general public in 1867, despite temporary closures due to damage or work. In 1815 Hericart de Thury published a Description des catacombs, a reference for later studies. The catacombs, now managed by the Carnival Museum, attract more than 500,000 visitors annually.
The accessible galleries, 1.7 km on the 300 km of the Parisian underground network, offer a path marked by sculptures, such as the gallery of Port-Mahon, the work of a carrier prisoner of the English, or the foot bath of the carriagemen, a well with crystal clear waters. The ossuary itself begins with a door engraved with the warning: "Stop! This is the empire of death." The bones, arranged in friezes of skulls and femur, come from 17 cemeteries, 145 monasteries and 160 places of worship, including victims of the Revolution, such as Danton or Robespierre. Plates indicate their origin and date of transfer.
The catacombs also house curiosities such as the Samaritan fountain, an underground source, or the crypt of the Passion, where a clandestine concert took place in 1897. Despite their status as a museum, they remain a place of memory, with spaces such as the chapel of the Sacellum, with an altar and a white cross. Modernisation works, such as the installation of electricity in 1983 or the creation of a new exit in 2017, aim to preserve this unique heritage while adapting to the tourist influx. The periodic closures, as planned in 2025, allow for major renovations.
Beyond their museum vocation, catacombs are associated with cataphilia, a clandestine practice of exploring underground quarries. Although dangerous due to the risk of collapse or loss, these explorations have popularized underground networks, such as the Great South Network (GRS). Secret ossuary, such as the cemetery of Montparnasse or the Père-Lachaise, testify to the extension of this underground funeral practice in the 19th century. Today, the catacombs remain a macabre and poetic symbol of Parisian history, mixing collective memory, art and mystery.
