Catacombes > Reviews > Death in the Depths of Darkness

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Advantages:	Interesting, unique
Disadvantages:	Cold, creepy, damp

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

The Catacombes can be found just along the road from Montparnasse cemetry in place Denfert-Rochereau (formerly known as place d'Enfer or Hell Square). Entry costs nothing if under 18, 17 francs for those under 26 and about 27 francs for those older. It is a fairly popular attraction but shouldn't really involve any queueing. I would advise wearing sensible shoes as the ground can get marshy and take a torch if you have one (if not they can be hired from the entrance desk).

Now you may be wondering what exactly the catacombes is. Basically it is a series of underground tunnels with many of the walls made out of human skeletons, bones and skulls piled in different patterns. The tunnels get older as you progress, beginning with some normal tunnels which lead you down into the dark. It gradually gets colder and damper as you descend, small drops of water begin to drop from the ceiling of the chambers. The huge network of tunnels used to spread right across Paris but many were sealed off for security reasons and you can see many other tunnels which are no longer accessible for the public.

The dim electric light allows you to make your way but does not really give enough light to read the many quotations which hang on the walls (in French and Latin), most are from famous men and all are concerned with mortality. Approaching the first bones you are faced with a view of rows and rows of skulls, cold, wet, empty eye sockets staring at you as you pass. The remains were brought from a variety of old burial places, cemetries such as St. Laurent's, St. Jack's or St. Jean's. The bones were deposited at different times from 1792 through to 1859.

The place is creepy and has a cold imposing atmosphere, not to mention being quite claustrophobic in places. The bones are piled into patterns with skulls forming heart shapes here, rows there and skull and cross bones in some places. After some time you will reach the Fountain of the Dead which has circular stairs around it and looks like it would not be out of place in a horror film. Some of the proverbs are good and others are foreboding, for example 'Death is the great leveller, who places side by side, feet to feet, the pauper and the king' or 'Do not mock death for it will claim us all'.

Walking around, the level of creepiness depends a great deal on how busy it is. When there are lots of other tourists something of the atmosphere is lost and I found many people were disrespectful. However when you get a quiet stretch it feels as though there is no one else for miles, just the constant drip of the damp, the chill of the fetid air and the crunch of stone and sludge of mud underfoot. In places the bones are piled high and deep, so many faceless, anonymous lives, it reminds you that we all end up the same. I found it depressing and was glad to get out in the open air at the end of it, I don't like to think about death.

The tunnels are very long and snake back and forward through the ranks of the dead. It takes quite a while to walk through and you will be searched on leaving, I can only presume that some ghoulish people must steal skulls. There is no disabled access and the ground is very uneven so don't wear silly shoes and be prepared for them to get dirty. It left me in a thoughtful mood and may be upsetting for some people. I have never seen anything like it before and so I am glad I went, a new experience is usually worth having. Just make sure you go for a drink after and allow yourself time to acclimatise back to the world of the living.