La Seine MAP OF IN AND ITS THE SURROUNDING AREA AND THEIR HISTORY

Gypsum Rough quarry Chalk quarry La Seine Paris The southern limit of the rough limestone quarries

VISITOR’S GUIDE VISITOR’S The known as the CATACOMBS Catacombs was created in the late 18th century in abandoned underground quarries dating

from the 15th century in the

CATACOMBS locality of “Tombe-Issoire”. THE PARIS PARIS THE The first bones were transferred here from what was the largest Parisian at the time,

La Marne the -Innocents Cemetery, La Bièvre located in the La Seine

© Musée Carnavalet - Catacombes / Roger-Viollet district. The cemetery was Map according to a document the quarry from inspection department – IGC © Légendes Cartographie closed in 1780, at the request of the municipality, due to FILLING -2 000 YEARS Opening hours Sewers and pipes concerns for public safety. Daily 10am–8:30pm, except Mondays BEAUCHAMPS SANDS The Quarry Department, and some bank holidays. -36 MILLION YEARS PLANNING Admission desks close at 7:30pm. Between street level and that created by a decree of the Royal Visiting conditions and accessibility THE GEOLIGICAL of the Catacombs, visitors travel Council on 4 April 1777 with YOUR VISIT Distance covered: 1.5km back in time nearly 45 million years. Length of the visit: 45 minutes. SUBSOIL OF the aim of protecting and Temperature: 14°C. PARIS They descend through a succession Over 100 steps on both the way down and up. fortifying the Parisian subsoil, The tour is not recommended for individuals of rock layers before reaching a Metro

suffering from heart or respiratory conditions. limestone bank from the Lutetian m was put in charge of choosing It is not recommended for sensitive individuals and young children. geological stage. 21 and developing the site for the The Catacombs are not accessible for persons The name of this stage, which was MARL AND GRAVEL with reduced mobility. -40 MILLION YEARS ossuary. Children under the age of 14 must be specifically identified in the Catacombs, accompanied by an adult. comes from the Roman name for Paris, Little by little, these former THE PARIS CATACOMBS The number of visitors to the site is limited to 200: during busy periods, admission may Lutetia. Limestone from the Lutetian limestone quarries began to 1 avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy - 75014 Paris be delayed. Telephone: +33 (0)1 43 22 47 63 stage provides high quality cut stone, house the bones from all the Photography and filming commonly referred to as “pierre de Paris” www.catacombes.paris.fr Photography without a flash or tripod is of central Paris, www.carnavalet.paris.fr permitted on the site, strictly for your own (Parisian stone). private use. As you can see on the map above, particularly during the urban Getting here Metro and RER: Denfert-Rochereau Guided tours and group visits the underground quarry areas are development work carried out Guided tours are offered weekly. (lines 4 and 6, RER line B) - Bus: 38, 68 broken down into zones based on Booking is required for group visits. m ROCK BANK UPPER LEVEL OF THE by Prefect Haussmann, up until The Paris Catacombs and the Ile de la Cité Information is available on our website: the geological layers encountered: 2 UNDERGROUND QUARRIES Archaeo logi cal , as historical and memorial sites www.catacombes.paris.fr 1860. Beginning in the early related to the capital’s history, are part of the Carnavalet gypsum is used to make plaster, m th Museum – dedicated to the History of Paris. GREEN BANK 19 century, the Catacombs limestone to cut construction stones 1,6 and chalk is used to make coatings. were opened to the public, Warning m SOLID LIMESTONE LOWER LEVEL OF THE Any theft or attempted theft of bones 3 UNDERGROUND QUARRIES creating a wave of curiosity from the Catacombs of the City of Paris will be immediately and systematically Limestone in an underground quarry that attracted a growing prosecuted. Any destruction, damage SANDY LIMESTONE in Bagneux, 1906 -45 MILLION YEARS or harm to persons or property will be © Vallet, IGC collection number of visitors. prosecuted in accordance with the laws SAND AND CLAY and regulations in force. Bronx agence (Paris) - Cover: © Christophe Fouin / Paris-Musées

★ Geological description including rock ages (from a document from the Quarry Inspection Department – lGC, Paris) 5. CROSSROADS WITH THE LOWER CATACOMBS 6. THE ENTRANCE TO THE OSSUARY 1. THE COPY 8. RENOVATED HAGUE 1 OF PARIS At this point, the gallery overlooks a steep “Stop, this is death’s empire!” Thus begins the path that leads ramp that connects the upper and lower through the remains of several millions of Parisians. The ossuary The particularly humid climate conditions Catacombs, which represent two different forms a loop in the quadrangle that is formed above ground of the Catacombs made it difficult to conserve Access to the galleries is via a staircase quarry levels. This ramp was set up at the by Avenue René Coty, Rue Hallé, Rue Dareau and Rue d’Alembert. the bones. In addition, the hagues began to of 130 steps leading 20 metres underground. th end of the 18 century, when the ossuary The first bones were thrown here haphazardly into an deteriorate. They required constant upkeep and These long, narrow corridors follow the paths abandoned quarry shaft. It was only around the year 1810 © Sara Boudjoghra / Musée Carnavalet - was created, with a grand entrance © Eric Emo / Musée Carnavalet - occasional renovations. This hague was renovated of the streets above ground. Signs indicate Catacombes Catacombes / Roger-Viollet featuring Tuscan pilasters, which are in fact that Héricart de Thury (1776-1854), Inspector General of the in 2015 and differs from the others in its stone © Philippe Ladet / Paris-Musées the names (which often no longer exist) of the Quarries developed this area. The long bones and skulls were © Sara Boudjoghra / Musée Carnavalet - solid pillars used to support this dangerous Catacombes foundation insulating it from the ground, as streets you are under. At the time, this entire part of the quarry ceiling. arranged decoratively to form a back wall behind which the as in the absence of the cement or mortar network was referred to as the “copy of Paris”. other bones are piled. These bone walls were called hagues, that was found to be harmful for the bones. Behind these supporting walls of the galleries, making reference to the walls built in the quarries using you can imagine the hollow, underground space the stones remaining from the quarry operations. that quarry workers dug deeper and deeper over

the centuries. 2 Avenue René Coty

7. PRESENTING 2. UNDERGROUND THE BONES 9. THE FOUNTAIN SIGNAGE “DE LA SAMARITAINE” When Héricart de Thury developed this area, he created signage indicating from which Parisian cemetery the bones The fountain “de la Samaritaine” (of the Samaritan The architects and engineers of the Quarry woman) is in fact a well, around which a small Inspection Department marked their underground originated. Yet he also created a truly theatrical decor, similar © Sara Boudjoghra / to a modern day museum exhibit. White geometric shapes circular area was designed, surrounded by walls Musée Carnavalet - Catacombes construction work. The number of the worksite, composed of bones from the Innocents’ initials and the year have been engraved in the © Eric Emo / Musée Carnavalet - on a black background adorn the stone masonry pillars,