Day 3 was my last day in Paris. Alas, business trips allow but a measly 25% of your trip to be personal in nature for it to still qualify as a biz write-off – otherwise I would’ve tried to stay longer. Probably not though, I did miss my fam back home something fierce. Anyways: It’s fair to say you can’t expect to do much beyond barely scratching the surface in Paris with 3 days, but nonetheless I did achieve my intended stops.
After returning my rented wireless card to the local DHL location, I walked around for a bit more of the classic local sites and said fuck it: it’s now time for the catacombs. My objectives for the day were to check out the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower AND the Catacombs, but my priority was one location that was a short cab ride away with a friendly Congolese man who loved his Bob Marley. He assured me that there is no Congolese Reggae, but I do acknowledge that the answer may have been lost in translation…
Apparently there was some sort of anti-war, pro-peace, anti-meat rally going on near the square where the Catatcombs resided, so I did get turned around a few times. After some friendly assistance rendered by a local shopkeep, I meandered my way over to the oddly green-stained wrought-iron gatework that housed the entrance to the Catacombs.
After paying a small admission fee, I began the stomach churning decent of 85 meters or so underground, courtesy of a tightly-turning limestone spiral staircase. My head is spinning just thinking of it. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the Ossuary below – you know: maybe some funky rot smells, the queer odor of death, etc – but I wasn’t worried about getting nauseous or anything. Well, for you folks with a strong stomach: first we’ll spin your ass around 100 times as you descend into the earth, slowly immersing you into a funky odor as you lose your sense of direction and feel a wee bit of the spins coming on. Then we’ll plop your ass into a holding cell with historic pictures and diagrams illustrating the process of populating the Ossuary in the distance. The funky smell will still pervade your senses, and you might consider doubting your iron gut as you are reminded the tour lasts 45 minutes…
Then you near the Empire of the Dead, and the smell is long gone. It was the living people that stank a funk something unholy. Most of the folks in the quarry this day weren’t necessarily funky, but there’s something to be said about the repeated presence of [living] humans in a confined location…
The actual experience of the Catacombs was amazing. I absolutely loved everything about it, with the understandable exception being shitty lighting. You’re not allowed to use flash photography with the preservation of remains in mind, but really – there are plenty of professional images online so whatever you manage to get is just a souvenir, anyways…
Really though, the lighting is part of the experience. You have to see it. There’s nothing creepy or overly disturbing about it, IMO. You’re looking at the bones of people that represents the combined human experience of roughly 360 million years*. It’s amazing to connect with the mortality represented in the neatly stacked femurs, skulls and tibiae – this is what 6 million lives look like after the fact, and perhaps a demonstration of how efficient burial can be when space becomes an issue, and how creative artisans can be with the remains of human beings. I hear there’s a spot in Croatia that really delivers this concept to the extreme…
I took so many pictures and video, but only some of it is worth passing along to you fine folks on the interwebs. I only post a few of my highlights here. Check the web elsewhere for plenty of other images, as well as a few select Flickr pages for some more shots.
The end of my tour was a welcome departure from the underground, the dripping ceiling and suggestions of encroaching claustrophobia. The entire thing was great. Except the return-t0-the-surface spiral staircase! Yes, more pukey-spins and some chatty British birds nipping at my heels as well all hurried towards daylight. Awesome.
Next installation: Day 3 | Quartier Latin
* Average lifespan in 18th century Paris seems to be around 60 years x 6 million bodies in the Catacombs. Corrections are welcome!
Filed under: Travel
Thank You telling about this place in Paris. I have visited it twice in my life and every time it “stops a man”.
Happy Sunday!
[...] Territories of Olfaction Medical / Pharmacy and Death: odors return to earth (decompose & gases escape) human excrement ritual incense / perfumes embalming, entombment cremation embalm-fragrances balsams (myrrh, storax) spices wrapped around body medical – disinfectants herbs to treat sick & dying vapors (essence) scents & cosmetics desire, pleasure, seduction, memory blood – violence / death sacrifices Aztec cities smell of death birth – deodorized feminine products (menstruation) incense = divine spirits sulfur = evil spirits rotten eggs volcano & lava fire & burning animals – find food or attract mates emotional force & attraction 1)PROJECT: l’Ossuaire Municipal, Catacombs of Paris The catacombs of Paris, which originally began as stone mines 20 meters below the streets of Paris, were re-purposed during the 18th century as burial grounds to house the bones of around six million people. The construction began shortly after an incident on May 30, 1780 when a wall collapsed between a Parisian restaurant and a cemetery exposing the overcrowded human remains condition present in all of the Parisian cemeteries. These were victims of the black plague, war, starvation and other illnesses whose bodies were piled on top of each other in mass graves. The cadavers of dead bodies posed a health risk and concern for the citizens of Paris. Between 1785 and 1814 all of the bones from the cemeteries and were relocated into the tunnels of the mines. The serpentine tunnels pose a connection with the serpent luring Adam and Eve in the Bible to eat the forbidden fruit; and evil spirit of the devil. While the visual components contain bones and earth underground. Decomposition of the bodies has already occurred so the stench of the release of chemicals (a smell similar to ammonia) is not present in the catacombs. However, after the tunnels were first filled with the cadavers, air flow was lacking. So, wells were drilled to the surface to refresh the underground air. At first, smoke rose up through the wells releasing the odorous decomposing gases into the public air. Now these gases are no longer inside the tunnels, but the odor of death still lingers inside the walls through the cold air, ground water, burning fire torch, dirt, soil, stone and bones. The mines themselves are quite cold giving a chill to the bone as one walks through the unknown remnants of lives past in the jumbled mix of inhabitants. [...]