Building stone for the Romans and later for what would become Paris, was originally mined in surface Quarries.  By the Middle Ages the quarries had moved underground.  The limestone they mined was used to build the famous Notre Dame Cathedral in the late 1100’s and most of the gothic monuments in Paris.  Beyond building stone, gypsum and chalk were also mined creating a network of tunnels over 200 km long..  About 1/10th of Paris (770ha … ~3 sections) has quarry/mine tunnels beneath it.  This mass network of unsupported mine tunnels went mostly unforgotten until the mid 18th century when some of these tunnels caved in disastrously.  Unsurprisingly, a general state of panic followed and so in 1777 Louis XVI (married to Marie Antoinette … both were beheaded during the French Revolution in 1792) created a Government department to oversee the structural integrity of the tunnels.  Some tunnels were filled in while others were reinforced with pillars and masonry. 

Meanwhile ….

By the early 1700’s the main cemetery in the heart of Paris – Cimetiere des Innocents (Cemetary of Innocents) which housed most Parians since the Middle Ages was overflowing.  The Charnel Houses (surface vaults) were overfilled and there was a real health risk to the surrounding neighbourhoods. Against much public opposition, the Cemetary was closed in 1785.

The city then set out on an ambitious project of creating a Municipal Ossuary (a site to serve as the final resting place for skeletal remains) in the abandoned underground quarries.  The Catacombes were consecrated on April 7, 1786 and bones were moved from deconsecrated cemeteries until 1788 and then again from 1842-1860.  Overall over 6 million people rest in these Catacombes and are the largest underground necropolis in the world.  Shockingly, only about 1/800th of the underground quarries are used in the Ossuary.

In 1809, the idea of the Catacomes receiving visitors was brought up and so the bones were stacked into displays and there were even geology displays explaining the rocks to visitors

     

 

  

Some of the displays …         

     

 

   

    

  

        
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A little known fact about Astrid and I is that we are both born on the eleventh day, one month apart of the same year. Strangely we have several other good friends who are also born on the eleventh so we coined ourselves the “eleven sisters”. So, when we decided to go to Paris, we agreed we would celebrate our birthdays “eleven sister” style.

Our choice was a night at the Moulin Rouge. The area of Paris where the theatre sits was awash in neon lights and crowded patios – a side of Paris we had not yet seen.

The theatre was full of sparkle and completely over the top – with a crazy show, wild guests, dinner and champagne. It was exactly as you might imagine – feathers, glow in the dark sequences, men in pirate and clown costumes, and topless lip syncing. They weren’t great dancers. But really, none of that could distract from a fun birthday celebration in the City of Light.

We exited the theatre to find a wild and unruly man being carried off by police with a large black hood over his head to a nearby waiting police wagon. The crowd was spilling all around this chaos.  A fitting end to a wild show.
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While we have gotten off to a slow start with our blogging, we have certainly been busy sightseeing and have lots of stories to tell. Our flight over from Calgary was uneventful (thanks to Gravol and wine) and we have settled into our hotel, three blocks from the Arc De Triomphe.

The hotel was a recommendation from a Parisian colleague of mine and is situated in a fun, urban area. We are on the fourth floor of five, overlooking le Rue. The street is complete with a fromagiere, a butcher and a chocolatier. The decor is spectacular! #understatement

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