Catacombs of Paris

The Catacombs of Paris, France started out as a tomb near the end of the 18th century, created as a large network of subterranean chambers and galleries used for burial purposes. They were established by order of Monsieur Thiroux de Crosne, Lt. General of Police, and by Monsieur Guillaumot, Inspector General of Quarries, 1786 at a time when the Les Halles district was suffering from contamination of poor burials and mass graves in the churchyard cemeteries causing disease to spread much sickness in the area. The decision was made to discreetly move the bones and place them in the underground passageways.

Remains from the Cemetery of St. Nicolas des Champs and others, plus bodies from the riots in the Place de Greve, from the Hotel de Brienne, and from Rue Meslee, were put in the Catacombs on August 28 and 29, 1788. Today, an eerie walk through the dark passages of the catacombs will take you past the remains of millions of Parisians, carefully stacked skull-upon-skull, and labeled by their year of burial.

Entrance to the guided tours underground is in the Montparnasse quarter.