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Key figures

Origin and history

The Montparnasse cemetery, located in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, was created in 1824 as part of urban planning policies aimed at moving cemeteries beyond the historical limits of the capital. Originally called the Southern Cemetery, it extends over 19 hectares, bounded by emblematic streets like Edgar-Quinet or Raspail. It is one of the four major Parisian cemeteries opened at the beginning of the 19th century, with the Père-Lachaise, Passy and Montmartre, under the impulse of prefect Nicolas Frochot. The site, once occupied by three farms and a flour mill (now listed as a historic monument), was chosen to meet the funeral needs of an expanding city.

The cemetery houses the burials of 35,000 concessions, including those of political, artistic, scientific and religious figures, reflecting two centuries of French history. Two public monuments commemorate significant events: the siege of Paris (1870-1871) during the Franco-German war and the repression of the Commune (1871), with tributes to the civilian victims and the gunned communers. Émile-Richard Street, which was first opened in 1890, divides from the site into two unequal parts, modifying its original plan. Specific sections were reserved for communities, such as the Israelites (5th division) or the priests (chapel of the Twelve Apostles).

Among the emblematic graves, those of the Four Sergeants of La Rochelle (guillotinated in 1822 for an antimonarchic plot), of the explorer Dumont d'Urville (discovery of the Land Adélie), or of Captain Dreyfus (symbol of the eponymous affair) illustrate political or scientific commitments. The cemetery also houses tributes to firefighters who died in service, pioneer airmen like Adolphe Pégud, and cultural figures like Marguerite Duras. Its plant and avian heritage (1,200 trees) also makes it a major green space, while anecdotes, such as the actions of Necrophile Sergeant Bertrand in the 19th century, mark its history.

The main entrance, located boulevard Edgar-Quinet, pays tribute to the eponymous Republican historian, buried in the centre of the cemetery. The numbering of the 30 divisions (absent number 23) follows a spiral logic from the central roundabout. Collective graves, such as that of religious congregations or deported Jewish families (e.g. André Baur, president of the UGIF), recall the tragedies of the twentieth century. The cemetery, the second intramural necropolis in Paris, thus blends individual memory and collective history, while serving as an example of sculptural works signed by Carpeaux or Bourdelle, heirs of the workshops of marbriers installed in the 19th century.

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