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| Les Innocents Cemetery circa 1550 (Public Domain) |
Literal-minded folks might instead pick the Catacombs. These “underground ossuaries” are actually part of a larger network of tunnels.
The tunnels were formed when limestone was mined long ago.
When Parisian cemeteries began "overflowing," and Parisian mines began collapsing, creativity ensued. Long-dead bodies were exhumed from medieval burial sites such as Les Innocents and
transferred into defunct mines.
The bones were “disorganized” until renovations began in 1810. Skulls and
femurs were then stacked into today’s recognizable patterns. “Skeletal
deformities” were displayed in a separate room. Cemetery decorations that had survived the plunder of 1789 were also included.
Public visitors can now access part of the Catacombs through a former city gate.
They are greeted by a sign which warns:
Stop! This is the Empire of the
Dead.
Resources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacombs_of_Paris
Copyright June 14, 2017 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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