Paris Catacombs

Our friends Bob & Martha from Taos are visiting Paris this week. Bob had read the National Geographic article about the Paris Catacombs and was hoping for the see more than a bunch of bones. We were a little disappointed, but still surprised by the miles of tunnels. The catacombs were originally stone quarries whose stones were used for the building of Paris. Then, in 1786, the city decided to close the Cemetery of Innocents which was located in the center of Paris and to move the contents to the disused quarries. The site became a collection point for several cemeteries of Paris from the end of the 18th century until the end of the 19th century. At first, the bones were just thrown down the shafts, and only later were they stacked into curious designs. There are over 6 million skeletons located there.