14 Interesting Facts About the Paris Catacombs

Curious to know some interesting facts about the Paris Catacombs?

Well, for starters, you should be aware that whenever you’re wandering the streets of Paris, you might be stepping directly above a massive gravesite.

This ossuary, the Paris Catacombs, was conceived to address the problems of overcrowding in Paris cemeteries in the 18th century, posing major public health problems since bodies were not properly buried.

The Catacombs are located just south of the Barrière d’Enfer (“Gates of Hell”), in the southern part of the city – mostly under the 5th, 6th, 14th, and 15th arrondissements of Paris. If you’re using public transport, the Denfert-Rochereau stop is the nearest one to the Catacombs – just a 3-minute walk.

The Catacombs are truly one of the eeriest sites in the city that you might as well check out if you’re in the French capital. But before you go, first have a look at some of the most interesting facts about the Paris Catacombs. 

14 Interesting Facts About the Paris Catacombs

1. The Paris Catacombs were originally quarries.

Because of the major health problems tied to the city’s cemeteries in the late 18th century, city officials decided to transfer buried remains to an underground site. The resulting ossuary, the Paris Catacombs, was a labyrinth fitted out in the galleries of former limestone quarries 20 meters under the ground.

2. Over 6 millions remains of Parisians are in the Paris Catacombs.

The Catacombs were gradually filled between the end of the 18th century and the mid-19th century, during which the city’s cemeteries were closed for health reasons. Some of the bones transferred to the Catacombs were nearly a thousand years old at the time.

Today the unique burial site houses over six million remains arranged in a macabre decor in a sort of romantic presentation of death along the dark underground galleries.

3. The Catacombs were opened to the public in 1809.

The Paris Catacombs have aroused curiosity since their creation, but it was only in 1809 that the undergound burial site was opened to the public. The following year, the Catacombs were temporarily closed to be redesigned in an effort to make the site safe to visit.

The Catacombs were reopened to the public and have been open on a regular basis since 1867.

4. It is the largest gravesite in the world.

The Catacombs of Paris are a huge network of underground galleries thought to be around 300 km. in size, making it the largest gravesite in the world.

5. People have died in the Catacombs.

There have been reports of deaths down in the Catacombs, but one officially confirmed death took place in 1793.

A man named Philibert Aspairt died after entering the Catacombs through a staircase from the courtyard of a hospital where he worked. His motives are unknown, but he is said to have been holding a bottle of liquor when his remains were found 11 years later.

He was entombed on the same exact spot he’d been found in, his tomb serving as a sort of precaution to visitors.

6. People get lost in the Catacombs.

Remember how big the site is? Stories of people getting lost in the Catacombs are not surprising. Great portions of the site remain unexplored and unmapped, with some areas nearly impossible to reach.

In 2017, two teenage boys, 16 and 17, almost suffered the same tragic fate that befell Philibert Aspairt after getting lost in the Catacombs. They had spent three days down there before they were rescued, thanks to the help of some fire service dogs whose trained noses managed to locate the pair.

7. You can go swimming in the Catacombs.

That’s right. People have actually swum there.

These people are Parisian cataphiles who spend time regularly in the Catacombs and take a dip into the dark murky waters for fun. The cataphiles are those who have committed themselves to exploring and mapping the many dark tunnels and documenting what they find.

If you deem the idea appealing, you can also go swimming in the Catacombs.

8. The Catacombs were used as hideouts and bunkers during the World War II.

Both the German soldiers controlling Paris and the French Resistance fighters utilized the Catacombs during World War II.

The Germans converted some areas into bunkers while some sections were used by French fighters as their hideouts, saving Jewish people and others who were stuck in the capital. The French Resistance movement went on to play a significant role in the victory of the Allies over Nazi Germany.

9. Mushrooms grow in the Catacombs.

There’s a variety of edible mushroom that grows in the vast, dark chambers of the Paris Catacombs. Named after the French capital, the Paris mushroom was once cultivated by farmers in this underground burial site.

Paris mushrooms are a common ingredient in French cooking. These are a type of button mushroom that can be eaten cooked or raw.

Parish mushrooms go well in green salads, sauces, soups, and stews.

10. Some of the bones in the Catacombs have been arranged to create pieces of art.

The Barrel of Passion is one of them, found at the center of all the bones, skulls, skeletons, and all things macabre.

The Barrel of Passion is a structure made of bones and skulls in the shape of a barrel arranged in an area of the Catacombs called the Crypt of Passion. It was intended to be shaped like the character Obelix from the French comic book series Astérix.

The Barrel of Passion is one of the most popular attractions in the Paris Catacombs.

11. You cannot touch these bones.

Due to their fragile state owing to their age, touching the bones in the Catacombs is prohibited. This is to ensure preservation of the site.

In addition, you are also not allowed to eat or drink on the site circuit. You cannot take your pet with you. It’s a given, but I will say it anyway: cigarette and alcohol are also forbidden.

12. There are wells in the Paris Catacombs, once of which is called “Miss Plouf.”

A winding staircase down in the Catacombs ends at a small well which was the first geological drilling done in Paris. The water there is so clear it’s practically invisible.

There are other wells in the area. The one that’s now called “Miss Plouf” took its name from the sound made when something (or someone) falls into the water. This happened when a girl fell into that well and created a “plouf” sound. Thankfully, her friends managed to lift her out.

13. People have used the Catacombs to commit crimes.

In 2017, a group of robbers drilled a hole through a wall of the Catacombs to break into a wine cellar of an apartment via the underground tunnels. They managed to steal over 300 bottles of vintage wine, valued at somewhere around 250,000 euros.

14. The Paris Catacombs are not the oldest catacombs in the world.

The oldest, in fact, are the ones in Rome which date back to the 1st century – and the tunnels themselves are said to be even older. Rome’s catacombs were created as an underground burial site, first by the Jewish communities and then by Christians.

Just like the Paris Catacombs, the Catacombs of Rome were once tunnels used for mining limestone as well as sandstone.