Dec. 17, 2014-Day 1 in Paris, we were so jetlagged but decided to hit the ground running til we dropped. We decided to visit the Catacombs, which was interesting to say the least. 6 million people buried in the limestone caves under Paris.
A bit of how this came to be. For years Parisians buried the deceased near churches and along their neighborhoods. By the late 1700’s these burial areas were very large and growing. Parisians wanted more of the real estate to build homes houses not for burial grounds. King Louis XVI decided to investigate the abandoned underground limestone mines as an option for burial.
In 1776 Graveyards all around Paris were dug up and moved in mass to the abandoned mining area, now called the catacomb. Cemeteries were moved to this location for many years. To this day there is still a lot of space for burials however there are no large buildings in this area because the foundation is so unstable as the tunnels are right below the streets.
The visit left me a bit uneasy but it was intriguing though I’m glad we visited.
timistravels 