The Secrets Behind the Paris Catacombs

 by Grace G

The Paris Catacombs continue to be a popular tourist attraction for those visiting the City of Love, with the tunnels luring in thousands of visitors each year. The Catacombs have been open for public visits ever since Napoleon allowed access into them in 1809. The catacombs are known for their creepy atmosphere, being described as a ‘walking cemetery’ or a ‘real life scene from Pirates of the Caribbean’. But what dangers do they behold and why have some tourists advised staying well clear of them? 

The eeriness around the Catacombs begins with looking at their history. Named after the Catacombs of Rome, the tunnels began to be built during the late 18th century. At this point in history, the city had expanded to the point where much of it was built directly on top of an old mine, which caused worry due to the lack of stability of this city. This worry became materialised when a sinkhole appeared in 1774, nicknamed the ‘road to hell’, which caused peoples and houses to fall more than 90 feet to their death. In response, King Louis created a map as an attempt to maintain the quarries and prevent further incidents from happening. This coincided with the growing public health issue taking place in France. Throughout the 18th century, the majority of Parisians were buried in communal graves that could be left open for months upon. As the city began to grow, overcrowding became an issue for both the dead and the living, with a lot of the time them being forced to live side by side. Paris soon became a hub for infectious disease, with historian Wakeman describing it as ‘human decomposition mixed with the blood and guts of the market, with piles of rubbish to form a putrid stench that made Les Halles an axis of infection and disease. This concern for public sanitation was closely linked with the declining power of the catholic church, and in 1765, parliament condemned church burials and proclaimed that the burials would have to take place outside of the city. After some outrage, in December of 1785, workers began carrying dead bodies from church graveyards to their new resting place: The city’s catacombs. The catacombs were officially named the ‘Paris Municipal Ossuary’  and were consecrated on April 7th 1786. The French revolution caused a serious rise to the number of bodies left in the catacombs, with the bones from over 6 million bodies shaped into tunnels, walls and archways. The tunnels have been used for beer storage, as a bomb shelter in WW2 and as a meeting place for the French resistance. 

It has been said that the French obsession with macabre and Gothic fiction can be reflected through the underground caves. A black line can be found drawn along the catacomb ceiling, in an attempt to provide guidance to anyone lost or separated from their tour. But how much help can this line be when your torch or candle goes out?

The catacombs have the potential to be a safe and enjoyable trip if you organise a tour with a trustworthy company and avoid separating from your guide. However there have been known to be horror movies and scary speculation surrounding the catacombs. Often, many tourists will discover someone who knows where the hidden entrances are to the tunnels, the entrances that are supposed to be concealed off and hidden from the human eye. Tourists fail to remember that the Catacombs are huge, expanding for miles and miles, meaning that it is incredibly easy to get lost in there. Not only this, there are people that live in the catacombs, full time. This community strongly dislikes the presence of tourists upsetting their living and disturbing their peace. These people, upon finding tourists with maps and torches, will run up to the unsuspecting tourists, seize their map and source of light, and abandon them in the dark. This, paired with the lack of phone signal, and the long winding passageways, often filled with water or with low ceilings causing people to be forced to crawl, has caused many people to be stuck in the catacombs, leading to their eventual demise. Furthermore, it has been said that the French police even avoid going down there due to its confusing and dangerous nature. It is clear that these catacombs are not designed to be entered, due to the use of specific sewer plates, designed to be extremely heavy and cut off fingers, alongside slippery long ladders, meaning that if you fall, breaking your neck is inevitable. 

The horror movie ‘As above so below’ even explores the conspiracies and legends surrounding the catacombs, with the plot following a team of explorers entering the tunnels and experiencing paranormal activity. This film was said to be inspired by a real life event, when in the 1990s, a group of cataphiles (people who explored the catacombs regularly) were walking through a dark camber and found a video camera on the ground. The camera still had footage on it. Whilst viewing the footage, they heard disturbing and eerie noises. It soon became clear that the man had no idea how to escape the tunnel, and had gone mad as a result of this. The video ended abruptly with the camera dropping, and still to this day nobody knows who he was or if he managed to get out of the catacombs alive. 

In conclusion, whilst the catacombs may appear fascinating and as a source for endless investigation and historical knowledge, it is clear that one should enter the tunnels in the areas permitted, and avoid any underground entrance they find themselves stumbling upon whilst exploring the city.