2. Introduction
The paris catacombs is a widely known
burial place in Paris, France and although
they are mostly known as "the
catacombs", the official name is "les
Carrieres de Paris", which means the
quarries of Paris. The catacombs hold
about 6.7 million Parisians.
3. People who built it
The use of the quarries
for the storage of bones
was thought of by the
the Lieutenant General
of Police, M Thiroux de
Crosne and the
Inspector General of
Quarries, Charles Axel
Guillaumo in 1786.
4. Why was it made
People in Paris were getting diseases caused by
contamination from improper burials. Another
reason was that cemeteries got so overcrowd
there needed to be a change. The catacombs were
an alternative to cemeteries.
5. Special Significance
So far with my research on
the internet I have found no
cultural or religious
significance of the
catacombs it was really just
a place to store dead
people. But It is quite a
popular tourist attraction in
Paris.
6. Location
The Catacombs in Paris (or Catacombes
de Paris, French translation) are a maze
of tunnels underneath the city streets of
Paris, France.
7. How is it used now
It is now used as a popular
tourist attraction open
Tuesdays till Sundays
from 10-5pm. There are
some other things that
people do in their such as
mini concerts and
sometimes gangs used
them as meeting places.
8. How it was used
The Paris catacombs were originally
created to store dead bodies from
cemeteries that didn't have enough room
to bury anymore people.
9. Fun facts
The Catacombs where tours are taken are only
a small portion of Paris’s underground tunnel
system. There are over 300km of tunnels.
It’s underground, so it can get chilly. It’s usually
around 14C.
There are people that are called cataphiles
that sneak into the catacombs and explore
illegally.
10. I think even though there are a few catacombs around the world it
feels like there's something different and special about it. Maybe
because it is in Paris. I am amazed that people were able to dig up
dead bodies and arrange them in underground tunnels in only two
years. It would have been a very difficult job to complete. I think it is
very smart how they thought of doing this. It just makes it all the
more fascinating that they run for miles underneath the city. Tours
probably won't even take you the whole way through. I have also
seen many, many pictures of the catacombs and in most of them the
skulls and femurs are placed in different patterns which was
interesting. There are also some different objects inside if you have
noticed in some of my pictures. I have always wanted to go to Paris
to see the Eiffel tower but now there is a second place on my list.
