327 Comments for Paris Catacombs

Ugh..a question popped into my mind. What if you were down there exploring and nature called? I would hope people would hold it until they got back up into the world..??

Seriously, the graffiti ticks me off to no end! Have some respect, you idiots!

Pac-man? Really? LOL!

Lit by lanterns I would guess.

I think there's a special place in the "great beyond" for graffiti "artists" who deface sacred places, and old buildings. And it's not a pleasant place.

They did what they had to do in the situation..that I know. But part of me still feels bad..these people had families, friends, and lived their lives. I'm always fascinated by "what was" I guess.

Binky..you're spot on. I have read books about the epidemic that explain that in some places, more than 80% of the town/area died from cholera. Bodies would be left in the streets for the body gatherers to pick up, but there weren't enough of them to keep up. A lot of the times, there would be dogs and other wild animals feeding on the dead bodies. A horrible time in history.

No matter where....you got to have the graffiti morons. Damn I despise those moronic individuals.

No WAY! I am beyond jealous..it's always been a dream to explore these catacombs. Soooooo jealous!

MIca, At a guess I would say the artist made a cast of those hands then used it for a mould. The cowl is probably a real cowl or an old blanket soaked in something like plaster that hardens as they do with papier mache and placed over a wire frame.

Does it smell in there?

Nope... no rodents, crickets, roaches, or anything living.

Yes, manhole covers on street-level can be lifted with anything resembling a crowbar-like hook and provide access to the catacombs network, if the shaft has rungs. I suppose they can't be sealed up either because they're used by official inspectors, or the police just don't know of their existence.

They're a bit risky though, as popping covers in the middle of a Parisian street can attract a fair amount of tension. I would think most cataphiles use these in the early morning hours, when streets are more desolate... the time of day doesn't matter once you're underground!

Many bones and sculls have been stacked artistically, carefully and neatly - even into pretty patterns; and wonder why these were just dumped like this.
Pretty brave, Motts, and pretty strange also, to be stepping on Human Bones sounding like twigs when they break.

Very cool gallery Motts!!! Double Thumbs Up!!