Cimetière du Père-Lachaise (Father Lachaise Cemetery) is named after the Jesuit Father Francois de la Chaise, King Louis XIV's confessor. It is situated on the eastern edge of Paris and is the largest cemetery in Paris. It is also one of the most visited cemeteries in France, and possibly even in Europe, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to the graves of those who have influenced or been influenced by French life over the last 200 years.
The cemetery is huge (110 acres.) It has cobblestone pathways and shady, tree-lined avenues, with many tombs that are elaborate, and some that are dilapidated and unsightly. It was rainy on the day I visited the cemetery, which may have contributed to the peaceful, respectful, pensive atmosphere. However, the cemetery is confusing to navigate because there are thousands of graves and tombs crammed every which way and because pedestrian pathways are meandering and not clearly marked. I took a guided tour of Pere Lachaise with “Paris Walks,” and I would highly recommend taking a guided tour to visit the cemetery--we ran into many a confused tourist clutching a cemetery map trying to locate a specific grave.
Père Lachaise Cemetery was opened on May 21, 1804. From its beginnings with only 13 graves, the cemetery now holds over 1 million bodies buried there and many more in the columbarium, which holds the remains of those who were cremated. Along with the stored remains (bones and ashes) in the Monument Aux Morts ossuary, the number of human remains exceeds 2–3 million in Père Lachaise cemetery.
The metro station Pere LaChaise in the 20th arrondissement,
an arrondissement which rings the city’s outer border on the eastern edge
Our group met the tour guide from “Paris Walks” near the metro.
The main entrance to Pere Lachaise Cemetery
Our tour entered on Boulevard Menilmontant and followed a more or less circular route, starting rightward and upward toward the Columbarium and then downward past the Monuments aux Morts. 
The gravesites range from simple headstones to elaborate monuments and even mini-chapels dedicated to the memory of a well-known person or family.
Some of the tombs are about the size and shape of a telephone booth, with just enough space for a mourner to step inside, kneel to say a prayer, and leave some flowers.
The Tomb of Héloïse and Abélard
The most famous religious figures buried in Père-Lachaise are the unlucky lovers Héloïse and Abélard. Peter Abélard (1079-1142) was a brilliant philosopher and theologian who was hired as a private tutor to Héloïse (1101-1164), a rich young noblewoman. The two fell in love, secretly had a son, and married. When Héloïse's uncle discovered this, he had Abélard castrated and sent Héloïse to a convent. The two rarely saw one another for the remainder of their lives, but exchanged love letters that have become famous. Héloïse became an abbess and Abelard continued his writings on theology. Abelard spent the last two years of his life as a monk at the Abbey of Cluny. Upon his death in 1142, he was buried at Héloïse's convent, and she was buried next to him upon her death years later. The two were later moved to Père-Lachaise, where they lie next to each other in elaborate tombs.
Héloïse and Abélard
By tradition, lovers or lovelorn singles leave letters at the grave in tribute to the couple
or in hope of finding true love.
The cemetery is built on a hillside, so tombs sometimes seem aslant. You can see how it might be difficult to locate a particular grave because there is no defined pathway to tell you where the grave is located.
Tomb of Michel Petrucciani, recently deceased French jazz pianist
Tomb of Frederic Chopin, Polish composer
Atop his tomb is the muse of music, Euterpe, weeping over a broken lyre. A carved relief of Chopin in profile adorns the front of the tomb. His heart, according to his wishes, is entombed within a pillar at Holy Cross Church in Warsaw.
Tomb of Casimir Perier, French statesman and the eleventh Prime Minister of France
The grandeur of a person's tomb in Pere Lachaise does not necessarily correlate with his importance or renown during his life.
Famille Moreau-Vauthier (The tomb of the Moreau-Vauthier family)
Father and son, Augustin and Paul, Moreau-Vauthier were both sculptors.
The sculpture on the tomb, “Douleur,” (Grief) was done by Augustin, Pere.
Tomb of Jim Morrison
American lead singer and songwriter with The Doors, who died in Paris at the age of 28. He was buried in Pere Lachaise in 1971, but fan farewells have followed for years. In 1981, sculptor Mladen Mikulin placed a bust of Morrison on the grave, but it was defaced by vandals and later stolen in 1988. There is a Greek inscription on Morrison’s grave marker, which means literally, “according to his own daemon.” It has been interpreted to mean, “true to his own spirit,” but considering Morrison’s addictions to alcohol and drugs, it was very likely his “personal demons” that did him in. Since there was no indication of foul play, there was no autopsy done.
Jim Morrison
Recently, Père Lachaise adopted a practice of issuing 30-year leases on gravesites, so that if a lease is not renewed by the family, the remains can be removed and space made for a new grave. The lease of Morrison’s gravesite was upgraded from 30-year to perpetual by Morrison's parents; the site is regularly guarded, due to graffiti and vandalism.
Tomb of Jean-Francois Champollion
French decipherer of the Rosetta Stone hieroglyphs and father of Egyptology
An obelisk, a frequently-used marker in front of Egyptian temples, is a fitting grave marker for
Jean-Francois Champollion.
Tomb of La Famille Raspail
Francois-Vincent Raspail was a French scientist and statesman.
I recognize the name because of the boulevard in Paris, but I had no idea who he was. I’ve included some of these tombs only because I found them interesting or impressive.
Tomb of La Famille Raspail
Francois-Vincent Raspail was a French scientist and statesman.
I recognize the name because of the boulevard in Paris, but I had no idea who he was. I’ve included some of these tombs only because I found them interesting or impressive.
Tomb of Alain Baschung, French singer
Tomb of Gilbert Morard,
Father of the modern French metro
Tomb of Theodore Gericault
The monument is topped by the reclining figure of Géricault with his paint brush and palette.
Géricault died of tuberculosis at the age of thirty-two, but his paintings had a great influence on the Romantic Movement. His “Raft of the Medusa” is one of the most visited paintings in the Louvre. On the front of the tomb there is a bronze version of “The Raft of the Medusa.” The work has become an icon of French Romanticism. It depicts a moment from the aftermath of the wreck of the French naval frigate, Meduse, which ran aground off the coast of today's Mauritania on July 5, 1816. At least 147 people were adrift on a hurriedly constructed raft; all but 15 died in the 13 days before their rescue, and those who survived endured starvation, dehydration, cannibalism, and madness.
Theodore Gericault atop his tomb
Tomb of Cino and Simone Del Duca
Cino was an Italian-born French publishing magnate, film producer and philanthropist;
his wife Simone was a French businesswoman and philanthropist.
I thought the Pieta-like sculpture was striking.
Tomb of F. Barbedienne (1810-1892)
Ferdinand Barbedienne was a French metalworker and manufacturer whose foundry produced bronze reductions of antique sculptures of Greek and Roman origin. His memorial reflects his profession.
Tomb of Auguste Maquet (1813-1888)
A French author, best known as the chief collaborator of French novelist Alexander Dumas, co-writing such works as The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers.
Another meandering path---the cemetery is a lovely maze of pathways like this.
I always lag behind the tour guide and group because I stop and take photos along the way. On this day, I never lost sight of my group because I was afraid of getting lost and/or missing something --or someone--important.
Tomb of Eugene Delacroix
Delacroix was a French Romantic artist who was influenced by Gericault. In his painting, “Liberty leading the People,” a woman personifying Liberty leads the people forward over the bodies of the fallen, holding the flag of the French Revolution, the tricolor flag which is still France's flag today. The figure of Liberty is also viewed as a symbol of France, so versions of this painting appear in many places.
Tomb of Honore de Balzac, A French novelist of the 19th century
His greatest work was a sequence of short stories and novels collectively entitled La Comedie humaine, which presents a panorama of French life in the years after the 1815 fall of Naploeon Bonaparte.
Tomb of Félix de Beaujour
Tomb of Alain Kardec (1804-1869)
Tomb of Proust (1871-1922) French novelist, essayist and critic
Columbarium
The Columbarium is in a courtyard surrounded by about 1,300 niches, small cubicles for cremated remains. Down the steps beneath the courtyard are about 12,000 smaller niches, including one for Maria Callas (1923–1977), an American-born opera diva known for her affair with Aristotle Onassis. Truthfully, I saw one of our group members go down these stairs--a Maria Callas fan, perhaps--but I never saw her again. Her disappearance reinforced my efforts to stay close to the group.
Left wing of the Columbarium with niches for cremated remains
Right wing of the Columbarium
A garden bed at Pere Lachaise
Stairs downward in this hillside cemetery
Tomb of Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Irish novelist, poet and playwright
Wilde had a flamboyant personality; he was witty, sophisticated and eccentric--all qualities that rankled Victorian sensibilities. Although Wilde was a married man with two sons, in his private life, he was homosexual. He had an affair with a young aristocrat named Lord Alfred Douglas. Douglas' father, the Marquess of Queensberry, did not approve of his son's relationship with the distinguished writer, and when he accused Wilde of sodomy, Wilde sued the Marquess in court. However, his case was dismissed when his homosexuality--which at the time was outlawed in England--was exposed. He was sentenced to two years hard labor in prison. On his release he was a penniless, dejected man and soon died in Paris in 1900. He was 46.
By tradition, Wilde's admirers kiss the Art Deco monument while wearing red lipstick The practice caused damage to his tomb, which had to be repaired and encased in glass. The base of the tomb is topped by a mysterious Pharaonic winged messenger, vandalized of its once prominent member soon after its erection.
Prostrate woman
I don’t know whose grave this is, but I thought the sculpture expressed a devastating loss better than words could.
Pelouse funeraire (Funeral lawn)
When the 30-year term of a lease for a niche in the Columbarium is about to expire, the person that is legally responsible for the affairs of the deceased is expected to submit payment to the cemetery for the next term. If there is no renewal, the remains are taken from the niche and scattered over the ground in the Jardin du Souvenir (Garden of Remembrance) at Père Lachaise. This garden was created specifically in 1983 for the purpose of dispersing the ashes of the deceased.
Memorial to those who died aboard West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 over Venezuela on August 16, 2005. There were 152 people and 8 crew members aboard the flight. Almost all were French citizens from Martinique returning home from a vacation in Panama.
Tomb of Gertrude Stein (1874-1946), American author
Gertrude Stein regularly hosted a kind of “salon” for artists and writers in Paris who got together for stimulating conversation and exchange of ideas. Picasso, Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, Henri Matisse--were some of the A-listers who were regulars at her Saturday night soirees. The Woody Allen film, “Midnight in Paris,” gave us a window into this interesting period. Stein’s life partner, Alice B. Toklas, is also buried here, on the opposite side of the gravestone.
General Ozanian Andranik(1865-1927), a national Armenian hero
Memorial to those killed at the Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg Concentration Camp
Memorial to those killed at the Monowitz-Buna or Auschwitz III Concentration Camp
Aux Morts de la Commune
Memorial to those killed at the Mauthausen-Gusen Concentration Camp
Edith Piaf was an internationally-known French chanteuse. When our group got near Edith Piaf’s grave, there was already a group of French people gathered there. Their tour guide (with a black briefcase in hand) was French, also, and he was leading his group singing a soulful rendition of “La Vie en Rose,” Edith Piaf’s signature song and one of her greatest hits.
Victor Noir died in a duel at the age of 22. He was sent only to arrange a duel between a cousin of the Emperor and the owner of the newspaper for which Noir worked. When the Prince referred to Noir and a companion as ‘menials’, a slap was exchanged, and the Prince then shot Noir dead. To mark Noir’s grave, a bronze statue of the man lying flat on his back as if just shot, his hat lying beside him, was erected. Myth says that placing a flower in the upturned top hat after kissing the statue on the lips and rubbing its genital area will enhance fertility, bring a blissful sex life, or, in some versions, a husband within the year. While the rest of the statue is covered with verdigris, Noir’s crotch gleams, proving the popularity of this particular myth.
In this area, you'll find memorials to the victims of the Nazi concentration camps and to executed Resistance fighters in the genocide of World War II. There is nothing subtle about these sculptures. They are intense, gripping, graphic portrayals, which remind us that
“Man's inhumanity to man/Makes countless thousands mourn!” (Robert Burns)
Memorial to those killed at the Dachau Concentration Camp
Memorial to those killed at the Buchenwald Concentration Camp
Aux Morts de la Commune
The Communards’ Wall (Mur des Fédérés)
In 1870, Prussia invaded France, and although the country surrendered, Paris held out against the Prussians. The French government fled to Versailles and was collaborating with the Germans. Parisians opposed the French government and formed an opposition government that was revolutionary and socialist, called the Paris Commune. The Versailles government sent French soldiers to retake Paris, and tens of thousands died during a bloody week of street fighting (La Semaine Sanglante). The last resisters made an Alamo-type last stand within the walls of Pere Lachaise before they were finally overcome. At dawn on May 28, 1871, the 147 Communards were lined up against this wall and shot by French soldiers. They were thrown into an open trench at the foot of the wall and buried in a mass grave where they fell. That was the end of the Paris Commune, and Paris was under martial law for the next 5 years.
Memorial to those killed at the Ravensbruck Concentration Camp
Memorial to those killed at the Neuengamme Concentration Camp :
The plaque reads in translation “under this stone is a bit of ash from the seven thousand French martyrs murdered by the Nazis at the Neuengamme Concentration] Camp – they died for us to live free – their families and comrades, survivors have erected this monument to their memory November 13, 1949"
Memorial to those killed at the Mauthausen-Gusen Concentration Camp
At the tomb of Edith Piaf, “The Little Sparrow”
Edith Piaf was an internationally-known French chanteuse. When our group got near Edith Piaf’s grave, there was already a group of French people gathered there. Their tour guide (with a black briefcase in hand) was French, also, and he was leading his group singing a soulful rendition of “La Vie en Rose,” Edith Piaf’s signature song and one of her greatest hits.
Tomb of Edith Piaf
Tomb of Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) and Jeanne Herbuterne (1898-1920)
Modigliani’s poor health was exacerbated by poverty and substance abuse, and after his death at the age of thirty-five, Jeanne Herbuterne, pregnant with the couples’ second child, threw herself out of a fifth-floor window in crazed grief. Modigliani’s paintings and sculptures are known for their mask-like faces and elongation of form.
Tomb of Victor Noir (1848-1870)
Victor Noir died in a duel at the age of 22. He was sent only to arrange a duel between a cousin of the Emperor and the owner of the newspaper for which Noir worked. When the Prince referred to Noir and a companion as ‘menials’, a slap was exchanged, and the Prince then shot Noir dead. To mark Noir’s grave, a bronze statue of the man lying flat on his back as if just shot, his hat lying beside him, was erected. Myth says that placing a flower in the upturned top hat after kissing the statue on the lips and rubbing its genital area will enhance fertility, bring a blissful sex life, or, in some versions, a husband within the year. While the rest of the statue is covered with verdigris, Noir’s crotch gleams, proving the popularity of this particular myth.
Victor Noir
Tomb of Jean de La Fontaine, French fabulist and widely-read poet of the 17th century
La Fontaine adapted many of his fables from Aesop (e.g., The Grasshopper and the Ant), from oriental fables and from early Greek and Roman authors. What made La Fontaine famous is his use of the French language to relate the fables. Many a French language student (myself included) has memorized one of La Fontaine's fables, probably the one beginning, "Maitre Corbeau sur un arbre perche, tenait en son bec un fromage..." That's all I remember of the fable, but it goes on to say that "self-pride will be one's downfall" (or) "flattery will always get you somewhere."
Tomb of Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) German physician
He is best known for creating a system of alternative medicine called homeopathy. According to Hahnemann, "that which can produce a set of symptoms in a healthy individual, can treat a sick individual who is manifesting a similar set of symptoms." This principle, like cures like, became the basis for an approach to medicine which he gave the name “homeopathy.” Homeopathy is still practiced today but remains a controversial course of treatment.
Descending the stairs in the direction of the main entrance
Tomb of La Famille Bourdeney
This grieving woman reminds me of a sculpture in the Musee Bourdelle
Tomb of Felix Faure (1841-1899)
Tomb of Colette, French novelist
Tomb of Rossini, Italian composer
Monument Aux Morts
Behind the Monument Aux Morts (Monument To the Dead) lies an ossuary of the bones of Parisians from cemeteries all over the city, a smaller kind of modern day catacombs. Although the monument is well known, it is not general knowledge that it is also an ossuary. When it became overcrowded recently, the bones were removed for cremation and returned to the ossuary after the incineration process.
Is it expensive to be buried in Paris cemeteries?
It is fairly expensive, but the price is the same in all Parisian cemeteries. The most expensive option is buying a plot in perpetuity: 5256.5€ ($7,000) for 1 square meter (1 sq yard). If you only buy a plot for ten years (the minimum allowed), it will cost you 331€ ($436) for one square meter. To this must be added the cost of the monument. (Prices accurate as of 2010. www.Pariscemeteries.com)
A few observations:
I’ve shown you many tombs in Pere Lachaise, but there are so many more tombs of famous people-- hundreds for sure, maybe even more--that I don’t feel I’ve done the place justice. There are also tombs of famous people not included in this tour that I would like to visit, as daunting as finding their tombs may be.
Getting information about tombs and memorials in Pere Lachaise has been a great history lesson.
Last, and probably least important, where do all the fresh flowers laid on graves come from?
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