Catacombs of Paris
Catacombs of Paris are the ominous attraction of Paris. Since the 18th century, the remains of the remains of the deceased are left here. By our time, 6 million remains were collected and 300 km of tunnels were dug according to some data, and the area occupied by them is more than 11,000 m2.
These tunnels when they were mines for stone mining. Until the 10th century, almost all stone developments were settled on the left side of the Seine River, but over time they moved to the right. The very first mines used to take place in the place where the Luxembourg Garden is located right now, these possessions were given by Louis XI for the extraction of limestone. Over time, the mines went further from the city of Paris, in these areas the hospital of Val de Gras, Gobelen Street, Saint-Germain-de-Prés, Saint-Jacques, Vozhirar is located right now. In 1259, the monks came up with the idea of continuing to dig catacombs further, and a cellar with wine was equipped on the site of old mines.
Over time, the city expanded and urban buildings were above the mines, which at any moment could collapse. Then King Louis XVI in 1777 ordered the creation of a special service that monitored the state of the catacombs of Paris and strengthened the most dangerous places. Over its more than 200 years of history, the General Inspectorate of Kamenolomen has built many fortifications that completely prevented the destruction of the catacombs. To do this, they used the easiest way - poured voids with concrete.
the peculiarity of Parisian catacombs is skeletons. And all because among Christians it was customary to bury the dead man next to the churches. And the cataly church in the Middle Ages was only glad of this, because they were paid big dengi for these burials in their cemeteries. At one such cemetery "Innocent" with an area of 7,000 m2 since the 10th century they buried all parishioners with 19 churches, unidentified dead. In 1418, the plague complicated the situation, adding at least 50,000 corpses at once, in 1572 thousand dead from Varfolomevskaya Night. And in the 18th century there were already more than 2 million troupes on the gravel. All would be nothing if the thickness of the burials did not go 10 meters deep in some places. It came to the point that in one grave there could have been up to one and a half thousand remains of different years. The burial ground became the focus of many diseases, and they said that the stench from it forced to sour milk and even wine. The priests did not want to miss the nailed and in every possible way resisted the closure of the cemetery.
In 1763, the Paris parliament forbade burying in a cemetery, but priests did not particularly obey this. The case in 1780 was the last straw, after which no one was buried there, and indeed in the city’s territory. The cemetery was separated from the houses located nearby by a wall and at one point it could not withstand the load and collapsed - the cellars of the houses on Rue de la Liangri Street were filled with corpses and sewage from the cemetery. For more than a year, the remains from the cemetery were disinfected and laid in the forgotten Tomb-Isuar mines at a depth of 18 meters. Soon the remains from another 17 cemeteries were brought there.
Nowadays, the entrance to the catacombs is located near the Dunfer-Roshro metro station. For guests equipped 2 km of catacombs and no more than 200 people can enter there at once. Since 1980, the catacombs of Paris have been patrolling special police patrols, punishing everyone outside the tourist areas.
The police are not walking here in vain. In 1804, in these mazes, the remains of a person were discovered, the church watchman who disappeared 11 years ago was identified by key and clothing in it. Perhaps he wanted to find a cellar with wine. During World War II, the French underground was hiding in the catacombs of Paris, and only half a kilometer from them in the same catacombs was the secret headquarters of the German army.
