Catacombs of Paris

The Catacombs of Paris occupy a vast network of former limestone quarries running beneath the city's southern arrondissements, stretching for roughly 300 kilometres in total. In 1786, city authorities began transferring the remains of millions of Parisians into a section of these tunnels, creating an ossuary that now holds the bones of approximately six million people. The transfer was driven by the overflowing state of the city's cemeteries, particularly the Saints-Innocents burial ground, and the work continued well into the nineteenth century. The arrangement of bones along the walls, interspersed with carved inscriptions and decorative stonework, reflects the care taken by Inspector-General Louis-Étienne Héricart de Thury, who transformed a utilitarian repository into a sombre memorial space open to the public from 1809.

The site sits beneath the Place Denfert-Rochereau in the 14th arrondissement, with the entrance marked by a former royal toll pavilion designed by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux. Reserved access tickets allow visitors to descend into the official ossuary section, following a set route through the illuminated galleries.