I’ve spent exactly two weekends in Paris in my life. My favorite place that I went during my second trip there was the Catacombs of Paris. Yes, I understand how creepy that sounds because the Catacombs house the remains of about 6 million people, but it was truly an astonishing thing to see. I mean, have YOU ever seen the remains of that many people?
The Catacombs were created in an effort to relieve some of Paris’ cemeteries that were collapsing due to the weight of the bodies inside. In the 18th Century, the Catacombs were an unorganized dumping ground for bones, but in the early 19th Century, the Paris Mine Inspection Service began to transform the catacombs into a visitable mausoleum.
Fun fact: The tunnels of the Catacombs were used by the French Resistance during World War 2!
If you’re interested in visiting next time you visit Paris, more information can be found here. But for now, here are a few of my (decent/questionable) photos from 2008:
[…] of space above ground, these catacombs were built below ground. They are creepy and very similar to the ones in Paris. The catacombs that I visited housed mainly the monks. These are super […]