Paris...the city of...tombs and catacombs
Dear friends,
Every man, when he hears Paris, imagines the Seine River, the Eiffel Tower, red wine, love and flowers ... but the truth is that there is still something else to be seen, something dark and creepy ...
Me and my wife visited the French capital a few years ago.
Now I will tell you about a few places beyond the traditional ones, where the seekers of strong emotions will definitely appreciate...
№ 1 The Paris Catcombs
The Paris catacombs represent a huge underground maze, where the bones of more than 6 million people are located.
I am ready to bet, dear reader, that you can`t see everyday can such thing. A sinister and dark place that makes you feel depressed and scared.
There are many tunnels, where you can get lost, but for the tourists there is a certain route that you can not miss. The tour takes about an hour and it`s lenght is about two metro stations.
After short descent we find our selfs in the coridors of the catacombs...not so long after that we reach some point, where there is almost no light ... monotonous large waterdrops are falling from the ceiling ... the sound breaks the dead silence. Beauty ... as if I had gone into some sinister dream ... an unreal feeling.
My wife clutched tightly in me and cursed me for having made her see this "attraction" (a bit spoiling my moment). We are slowly moving forward, illuminating the road with our phones. From the walls we observe the empty eyeballs of the skulls.
Soon we find ourselves in a round hall that is like a mini mausoleum. In the 19th century, satanic rituals and spiritual sessions were performed in the halls.
I feel sorry for the people working in the tunnels. At 500 meters there is one person sitting on a chair in the corner and reading books under a light bulb. My wife urges us to go faster ... After an accelerated march, we reach the exit where we check the bags for stolen skulls or bones ...
№2 Basilique de Saint Denis
This gothic temple is the last resting place of the most french kings and queens.
A very beautifull place, where I felt some unique feeling of sadness.
Kings from the Capet dinasty.
The grave of king Filip IV of France.
Here is the heart of Louis XVIII. Nearby are the remains of Louis XVI and Maria-Antoinette, which Louis XVII claims to have discovered at the Madeleine Cemetery in Paris. Louis XVIII is the last king of France, buried in Saint Denis.
Here are two of the sons of Philip IV Fine - on the left is Philip V Long, on the right is Charles IV Nice, and in the middle was the woman of one of them.
Henri II and Katerina Medici. In some incomprehensible funeral tradition of those times they are depicted in two ways - below are depicted dead, degraded and decomposing flesh, and above they are praying.
Henry II Valois (the one pierced in the eye during a knight's tournament, as Nostradamus predicted) and his wife, Catherine Medici.
The Bourbon Chapel. There are kenotaphs (burial crypts in which there is no real body) here in the nineteenth century in honor of the dynasty. Kenotaph of Henri IV.
Kenotaph of Louis XIV.
Just above the tombs of Louis XVI and Maria-Antoinette, there are sculptures of them praying. The sculptures were made in 1830 by an order of Louis XVII (brother of Louis XVI).
I had the disturbing feeling that they could see me...real masterpiece of art.
№ 3 Hôtel national des Invalides
This complecs original purpose was to be a hospital and war veterans retirement home, but now is a war museum and tomb of Emperor Napoleon.
Me in front of the Emperor`s tomb.
I was impessed by the size of the sarcophagus...
A beatifull statue in full human size.
№ 4 The Pantheon
The Pantheon, built during the time of Louis XV as a Catholic temple, it was converted into a "temple of the people" during the Revolution. Here are buried Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Alexander Dumas, Maria Curie, Emil Zola ... Impressive, right?
Some graves in the crypt.
№ 5 Paris graveyards.
Last but not least, you should visit these cemeteries, at least to enjoy the marvelous statues, made by marble and stone that seem to be alive.
End of the tour. I hope that you enjoed my first travel post. Feel free to coment and ask me questions.
Next time I will write for something merrily...