Flea-bite that’s an unusual origin for a place name isn’t it? Welcome to Cimeti\u00e8re de Picpus. It’s French for flea-bite. Local monks used to cure skin diseases here. These diseases caused wounds resembling fleabites.
Cimeti\u00e8re de Picpus is one of Paris’s most secret cemeteries. Many Parisians do not even know it exists. This private cemetery holds a great history. The history is closely linked to the French Revolution.
In 1794 the Reign of Terror reached its peak. The guillotine was moved to Place du Tr\u00f4ne-Renvers\u00e9 now Place de la Nation. It operated until July 27. Around 55 people were beheaded each day.
To bury the piling bodies, an area was needed. It was located in the nearby village. The area was converted into a common grave. It was for the 1306 people guillotined during this macabre month.
In 1796 Princess Amelie de Salm-Kyrbourg bought the land. Her brother was guillotined. A society of families was founded in 1800. They wanted to remember the missing. Cimeti\u00e8re de Picpus was born.
The Cimeti\u00e8re de Picpus is one of only two private cemeteries in Paris. Only descendants of the 1306 victims can be buried here.
Among the graves you will find are some famous names. The Marquis de Lafayette is buried here. His wife Adrienne de Noailles is also buried here. She was a founder of the society.
Adrienne’s sister mother and grandmother were beheaded. They were thrown into the common pit. Lafayette’s tomb is of interest to American visitors. An American flag always flies over it.
The Cimeti\u00e8re de Picpus contains two mass graves. The names of the 1306 victims are inscribed on the chapel walls. There were nobles churchmen and commoners. Sixteen Carmelite nuns are among the dead.
The Cimeti\u00e8re de Picpus is a place of revolutionary memory. It is a hidden garden in Paris. It is a place where history whispers from every corner. A place where the past is honored.