Les Catacombs

1. Les Catacombs By: Tyler Palombo

2. Location • The Catacombs are located in the 14 Arrondissement of Paris, in the Montparnasse District. • The Entrance is under the Left Bank of the Seine River. • Above the entrance, it reads “ Arrête! C’est ici l’empire de la mort.”

3. Reason for Using the Catacombs • During the 17th century, the residents of Paris began burying their dead in cemeteries near the city. • As the cemeteries got more and more overcrowded, the city began to smell and get disease.

4. The Parisians began rioting and marching through the streets saying that they wanted the dead moved away. • Police Lieutenant General Alexandre Lenoir had the idea to move these people into the empty quarries underground the city.

5. The movement of these bones to the underground quarries was started in 1786. • The process of moving these bones to the quarries was very precise. • The quarry space was blessed before any bones were moved there. • Bones were always moved in a quiet parade of carts accompanied by a priest at night.

6. The Parisian government kept moving bones into the quarries up through 1814. • Because the quarries were becoming cemeteries, they were nicknamed The Catacombs due to the fact that they were becoming burial sites.

7. There is no exact date in which it says that bones were still being moved, but it is said that they stopped roughly in the 19th century. • On June 19, 1994, The Catacombs were opened to the public, bringing millions and millions of tourists from all over the world.

8. The IGC was invented to make sure that The Catacombs stayed safe, and also that the city stayed safe. • IGC- General Inspection of the Quarries. • If there were to be a collapse in the tunnels, they would be the ones to go fix it.

9. Uses • As I said, The Catacombs were used to become cemeteries to the many people in Paris. • But, In the 20 and 21st centuries, they are more used as tourism, as no specific evidence shows that there are still being bones moved there.

10. Importance • The Catacombs are an important part of French life, being one of the biggest tourism attractions throughout France. • It shows some history of the city and also, it shows something to the public that has been around for over 300 years, which are the bones.

11. Interesting Facts • During World War II, The French Resistance held their headquarters in The Catacombs. • Due to the vast tunnels throughout Paris, it proved that it would be able to easily escape if they were attacked. • It allowed them to get throughout the city efficiently without being seen.

12. Important Facts (cont.) • Although no modern map is known to exist about The Catacombs, there is said to be at least 185 miles of tunnels, all within the Parisian Border. • Victory Hugo, the creator of Les Miserable's, was said to have got his inspiration from the Catacombs.

13. Relating to Other Countries • Because the French used The Catacombs as a headquarters, it allowed them to fight Germany. • All The Allies, which included America, benefited from this, allowing them to have a safe base in Paris.

14. I believe that someday, I would love to visit The Catacombs. • I think that it holds much history