Avenue René CotyWorkshopPort-Mahon corridorQuarrymen’s footbath
Entrance to the ossuaryFontaine de la Samaritaine Sacellum Crypt Sepulchral Lamp“Gilbert’s Tomb”Fighting at the Réveillon factory (plaque)Françoise Géllain’s tombstoneCrypt of the Passion
Bones
Avenue René Coty
Rue Rém
y Dumoncel
Rue
Dare
au
Ossuary exit
Quarries Ossuary
Educational corridor
The “Fontaine de la Samaritaine”The so-called Fontaine de la Samaritaine (Samaritan
woman’s fountain) is a spring surrounded by a small
circular space, the walls of which are made of bones
from the Cimetière des Innocents.
The Sacellum Crypt: altar and large crossThe corridor broadens, revealing an altar modelled
on an ancient tomb and a chapel known as the “Sacellum
Crypt”. A plaque on the left marks the spot where the first
bones from the Cimetière des Innocents were placed in
April 1786.
Entrance to the ossuaryThe space located before the entrance to the ossuary
is used for themed exhibitions.
The ossuary door is framed by two stone pillars decorated
with white geometric figures on black backgrounds. The
lintel bears the alexandrine “Arrête, c’est ici l’empire de la
mort” (Stop! This is the empire of death!) in black letters.
Further along, other maxims and reflections on the
fragility of human life may be found.
The visitor is now surrounded by the remains of some
six millions Parisians, stacked in the 780 metres of
corridors running under the quadrilateral formed
by avenue René Coty, rue Hallé, rue Dareau and rue
d’Alembert. The first bones were brought in 1786, and
simply thrown in the corridors. It was only in around 1810,
under the Empire, that General Inspector of Quarries
Héricart de Thury (1776-1854) had the Catacombs arranged
in an orderly fashion, forming a decorative façade with
the skulls and long bones, behind which the remaining
bones were piled in a heap.
The Port-Mahon corridorThe sculptures in the Port-Mahon corridor, which are
a highlight of the visit, were created by a quarryman
named Décure, who had fought in the armies of Louis XV.
In the walls of the quarry, Décure sculpted the fortress
of Port-Mahon, the largest town on the island of Minorca,
one of the Balearic Islands, where he is believed to have
been held prisoner by the English.
The Quarrymen’s footbathThe so-called “Quarrymen’s footbath” (bain de pieds des
carriers) is a body of crystal-clear groundwater uncovered
by the quarry workers. The water was subsequently used
by workers mixing cement required during works in the
Catacombs.
Avenue René CotyAccess is via a stairway leading to the Catacombs,
20 meters below ground. Visitors begin by walking through
long narrow corridors leading to the space beneath
avenue René Coty (formerly avenue Montsouris), where
inscriptions on the walls provide the names of the streets
above and details of works conducted in the corridors
(e.g. reinforcement, in the 18th century, of the Arcueil
aqueduct, which was built between 1613 and 1623 at the
behest of Marie de Médicis).
The WorkshopThe “Workshop” is a disused quarry featuring stacked
pillars (made of several pieces of stone) and pillars hewn
in situ – two techniques used for supporting the quarry
ceilings during Lutetian* limestone quarrying.* Refers to the so-called “Lutetia” (the Gallo-Roman name for Paris)
geological level, which is 45 millions years old.
The Catacombs and their history The Catacombs were created at the end of the 18th century
to serve as an ossuary. In 1780, Paris’s largest cemetery, the
Cimetière des Saints-Innocents, located in the Les Halles
district, was closed for public-health reasons at the request
of local residents. On 9 November 1785, the Council of
State issued a decree requiring the removal of the human
remains. The task of choosing and preparing the storage
site fell to the quarries department, which had been set
up by the Royal Council on 4 April 1777 for the purpose of
protecting and reinforcing Paris’s quarries and preventing
subsidence. It was decided that bones from all of the city’s
cemeteries would be stored in disused limestone quarries
in the Tombe-Issoire district. This continued until 1860,
notably during the extensive urban development carried
out by Haussmann. At the beginning of the 19th century, the
Catacombs opened to the public, attracting large numbers
of visitors, including such prestigious figures as Francis I
of Austria, who visited them in 1814, and Napoleon III,
who visited in 1860 with his son, the Prince Imperial.
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The “Workshop”
Overview of Port-Mahon
Entrance to the ossuary
The large cross in the Sacellum Crypt
Fontaine de la SamaritaineThe Quarrymen’s footbath
Bones brought from the Cimetière des Innocents in April 1786
© Musée Carnavalet / Roger-Viollet
Visitors in the corridors of the Ossuary
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OSSUARY
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EnTRAnCE
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Overview Quarries Quarries Ossuary Ossuary
manmade layer
Metro tunnel
catacomb corridor
corr
idor
s
white marl
white marlyellow sand
sand
yellow sand
white marl and loose stones
white marl and loose stones
grey marl and loose stones
STREET LEVEL
loose stones
loose stones
rock
rock
backfill
small rocks
sew
er
The Sepulchral LampThe oldest artefact in the Catacombs is the Sepulchral
Lamp – a bowl in which quarrymen kept a fire burning
constantly in order to create a draught to make the air
circulate in the corridors. When shafts were created,
this primitive solution was no longer required.
“Gilbert’s Tomb”This sarcophagus-shaped feature, which is not actually
a tomb, serves to mask reinforcement works. It bears some
melancholic verse by the poet Gilbert, who died in 1780 at
the age of 29, and is buried elsewhere.
Plaques commemorating fighting at the Réveillon factory on 18 May 1789 and at the Tuileries on 10 August 1792With the exception of the victims of the massacres of
September 1792, those killed in these two key events of the
French Revolution are the only people who have ever been
buried directly in the Catacombs.
MUSÉESDE LA VILLE DEPARIS
MUSÉESDE LA VILLE DEPARIS
musees.paris.fr
The only tombstone: Françoise Géllain(Dame Legros)Françoise Géllain spent much of her life working to have
the adventurer Latude (1725-1805) freed from the Bastille,
where he was imprisoned on several occasions. He spent
some 30 years behind bars, in the Bastille, Vincennes,
Charenton and Bicêtre.
The Crypt of the Passion: the barrelThis barrel-shaped array of skulls and shin bones in the
Crypt of the Passion hides a pillar supporting the ceiling
of the Catacombs. It was in this crypt that a macabre
clandestine concert took place on 2 April 1897, between
midnight and two o’clock in the morning. The event was
attended by scientists, scholars, artists and distinguished
persons of wealth. The two workers who let them in were
sacked as soon as their identities were discovered.
Ossuary exitOn leaving the ossuary, visitors enter the underground
educational corridor managed by the General
Inspectorate of Quarries. The corridor, which runs under
rue Rémy Dumoncel, features consolidated bell-shaped
subsidence cavities* illustrating the commonest type
of damage sustained by limestone quarries in Paris
(i.e. ceiling collapse). The coloured stripes in the cemented
cavities represent the alternating geological layers. The
18th century exit stairway leads to 36, rue Rémy Dumoncel. *Cloches de fontis, in French
Paris Catacombs 1, avenue du Colonel
Henri Rol-Tanguy - 75014 Paris
Tel. : +33 (0)1 43 22 47 63
www.catacombes.paris.fr
et www.carnavalet.paris.fr
AccessMetro and RER: Denfert-Rochereau
Metro lines 4 and 6. RER line B.
Bus routes 38 and 68
The Paris Catacombs and the Archaeological Crypt on place du parvis Notre-Dame are historical sites managed by Musée Carnavalet – Histoire de Paris.
Opening hoursOpen daily from 10am to 5pm,
except Mondays and public holidays
Last admission: 4pm.
Conditions and accessibilityVisitor numbers are restricted to
200 at any time. Admission may
be delayed for a short time during
busy periods.
Distance covered: 2 km.
Duration of the tour: 45 minutes.
No toilet or cloakroom facilities
available.
130 steps to go down and 83 steps
back up to street level.
Temperature: 14°C.
The tour is unsuitable for people
with heart or respiratory problems,
those of a nervous disposition and
young children.
The Catacombs are not accessible
for persons with reduced mobility.
Children under the age of 14 must
be accompanied by an adult.
Film and photographyOnly photography for strictly
personal use is allowed.
No tripods or flash.
Guided tours and group visits
Individuals: enquire at the information desk.
Groups (10 to 20 people):
group visits (guided or otherwise)
are possible only in the mornings,
from Tuesday to Friday inclusive.
Booking mandatory six weeks in
advance with the Musée Carnavalet
cultural affairs department. Monday
to friday, from 9 am to 5 pm on
+33 (0)1 44 59 58 31 / 32
(fax: +33 (0)1 44 59 58 07).
WarningAny person caught damaging or
stealing bones from the City of Paris
Catacombs will be prosecuted.
All bags are searched at the exit.
Mai
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“Gilbert’s Tomb”Sepulchral Lamp Victims of fighting at the Réveillon factory (plaque)
The barrel
Françoise Géllain’s tombstone Geological strata
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denfert-Rochereau
Mouton Duvernet
Alésia
Av d
u Gén
éral
Lecle
rc
Rue
de la
Tom
be Is
soire
Rue Rémy Dumoncel
Rue du Couédic
Rue d'Alésia
Av René Coty
Rue Froidevaux
Rue B
oular
d
Rue Mouton Duvernet
Rue Daguerre
Rue La
lande
The ParisCatacombs A visitors’ guide
RER
Ossuary Ossuary Educational corridor
ENTRANCE
ExiT
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: Metro station
: Vélib’ rank
: Toilets
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