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

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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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Overview Quarries Quarries Ossuary Ossuary

manmade layer

Metro tunnel

catacomb corridor

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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

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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.

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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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Rue Rémy Dumoncel

Rue du Couédic

Rue d'Alésia

Av René Coty

Rue Froidevaux

Rue B

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Rue Mouton Duvernet

Rue Daguerre

Rue La

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The ParisCatacombs A visitors’ guide

RER

Ossuary Ossuary Educational corridor

ENTRANCE

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: Metro station

: Vélib’ rank

: Toilets

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