Beneath our feet lie tunnels. These tunnels are part of what many Parisians call the Catacombs. Today, let’s talk about a different path: Avenue de Rome. It’s a name that might conjure images of ancient forums. However, here in Paris, it carries a story far more layered than a simple street address.
Avenue de Rome does not connect directly to the Catacombs. The Catacombs are a separate world beneath the city. Yet the Catacombs’ history touches every corner of Paris. The Catacombs began as a solution to a pressing problem. Paris’s cemeteries were overflowing. The most central of these cemeteries was the Saints Innocents’. It was overcrowded and unsanitary. By the late 18th century, it was a public health hazard.
Imagine the scene. A wall collapses. Corpses spill into a neighboring property. This event forced a radical decision. The city needed a new burial solution. The solution lay in the ancient mines beneath Paris. These mines were a network of tunnels. They became the final resting place for millions.
In 1774 King Louis XVI created a commission to inspect the mines. The commission’s work led to the creation of the Inspection of Mines service. Alexandre Lenoir endorsed the idea of moving Parisian dead to the subterranean passageways. The idea became law in late 1785.
The remains of over six million people were moved to the Catacombs. The remains came from cemeteries all over Paris. The cemeteries include Saints-Innocents, Saint-Étienne-des-Grès, Madeleine Cemetery, Errancis Cemetery and Notre-Dame-des-Blancs-Manteaux. Black cloth covered wagons carried the remains through the streets each night. This procession took two years.
Many famous figures from the French Revolution ended up in the Catacombs. Charlotte Corday, Madame du Barry, Robespierre, and Danton. These are just a few of the names whose bones now rest there. The Catacombs were not always a tidy ossuary. They were a disorganized repository. Louis-Étienne Héricart de Thury transformed the caverns into a visitable mausoleum. Héricart de Thury directed the stacking of skulls and femurs into patterns. He added ominous warning inscriptions. One such inscription reads: “Arrête! C’est ici l’empire de la Mort”. This translates to “Stop. The empire of Death lies here.”
The Catacombs became a novelty. Concerts and private events were held there in the early 19th century. The Catacombs opened to the public in 1874. Today, the Catacombs are managed by Paris Musées. While only a small section is an ossuary, many Parisians refer to the entire tunnel network as the Catacombs.
The tunnels also played a role in World War II. Members of the French Resistance used the tunnels. They established headquarters there. The Wehrmacht established an underground bunker below Lycée Montaigne.
The catacombs are directly under the Paris streets. Because the catacombs are directly under the Paris streets, large foundations cannot be built above them and cave-ins have destroyed buildings. For this reason, there are few tall buildings in this area.
Avenue de Rome may not lead to the Catacombs. But, it shares the same ground. It shares the same history of Paris. As you walk this avenue, remember the layers beneath your feet. Remember the millions who shaped this city. The millions who now rest in the darkness below.