THE CATACOMBS MUSEUM

The Catacomb Museum is located in Paris, France, and as one walks through its main arches they will see the sight of millions of human bones. The skulls form macabre patterns throughout the tunnels. The patterns of skulls are in the form of hearts, crosses, and arcs. The columns are covered in bones and skulls as well. There are over 6 million bodies in the catacombs that represent 30 generations of Parisians. They were moved to these underground tunnels because the cemeteries began to overflow with corpses. This took place between the years 1785-1859.

The Catacombs of Paris are a network of tunnels and caves that run for more than 300 kilometers under the city. To build a city, you need materials. The Romans were the first to quarry the limestone in the area in 60 B.C.E.; however, those quarries were the open-air kind— the Romans just dug out the rock that was exposed. As the city grew and covered the landscape, tunneling would be required to get more building materials. In 1180 C.E., Philippe-Auguste became King. He was a major proponent of tunneling to quarry in order to build ramparts to protect the city, and it was under his rule that this tunnel network was truly born.

The quarries grew in size and complexity and produced building materials for centuries to come. Quarrying continued with reckless abandon until problems began to arise. In the 18th century, the city of Paris (and the weight of its buildings) continued to grow as the ground became more hollow underneath. Some buildings began to collapse and fall into the earth that was opening up below them.

As the emerging city enclosed around the cemeteries, there was no place to go but up. Near the end of the life of the Cemetery of the Innocent, as well as several other cemeteries, the ground swelled more than 10 feet above the road. The smell was tormenting those who lived in close proximity to the graveyard. Some of the cemetery walls actually broke open, spilling rotting bodies onto the streets and into the cellars of some adjacent buildings. Soon after, disease took hold of those living in the vicinity, and people began dying from the pestilence spread by the corpses. The decision was made to start emptying the cemetery and to place the bones into the network of tunnels under the city. In 1785, when the bones were moved to the underground network, the quarries became the Catacombs.

People have claimed to hear voices in the tunnels, and shadows have been seen by people walking by. This is quite a haunted location, and with no wonder since the count of 6 million skeletons are lying around.

The Catacomb Museum is open daily except for Mondays and bank holidays. Call for hours of operation. Tours are self-guided, though museum staff is available to answer questions.