Montparnasse Cemetery

Famous cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, France.

Created from three farms in 1824, Montparnasse the cemetery was originally known as Le Cimetière du Sud. Cemeteries had been banned from Paris since the shutting down of the Cimetière des Innocents, on the fringe of Les Halles, in 1786, on the grounds that it presented a health hazard. Three new cemeteries replaced all the Parisian ones, outside the precincts of the capital, in the early 19th century, Montmartre in the north, Le Père Lachaise in the east and Montparnasse in the south.

Montparnasse Cemetery is the eternal home of many of France's intellectual and artistic elite as well as publishers and others who promoted the works of writers and artists. There are also monuments to police and firefighters killed in the line of duty in the city of Paris.

Because of the many notable people buried there, it is a highly popular tourist attraction.

For an excellent collection of (untitled) photos of the cemetery’s many sculpted monuments see: http://members.lycos.co.uk/jcspix2/grv.htm