Unveiling Père Lachaise: A Guide to Paris’ Legendary Final Resting Place
Nestled within Paris’ 20th arrondissement, the Père Lachaise Cemetery stands as a grand necropolis, the final domicile of luminaries like Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, and Molière, amongst a host of eminent artists. Its inception in the Napoleonic era of 1804, post-French Revolution, marked it as an essential addition to the city’s historical tapestry.
A labyrinth of nearly 70,000 tombs
Boasting the title of Paris’ most expansive burial ground, Père Lachaise garners global attention as the world’s most frequented resting place of its kind. Accessible via the metro, its labyrinth of nearly 70,000 tombs ranges from the understated to the magnificently ornate, each vying for admiration and remembrance in this somber yet celebrated spot. More than a mere collection of graves, the cemetery unfurls across 44 hectares—a remarkable mineral garden where flora and stone intertwine in an eternal embrace, with ancient roots enshrouding the memorials in their silent guard.
The cemetery’s narrative began as Champ l’Eveque, a pastoral slope once held by the Parisian bishopric until the 12th century. History saw it pass from a spice merchant’s estate to the Jesuit order in 1626. It’s here that the cemetery’s namesake, Father Francois de La Chaise d’Aix, or Père Lachaise, a confidante to King Louis XIV, established his residence. The site’s transformation by the Jesuits ceased with their decline, culminating in 1804 with the city’s reclamation and the cemetery’s consecration.
Alexandre Théodore Brongniart
Under the guidance of Alexandre Théodore Brongniart, the pastoral land underwent a metamorphosis, marrying the romantic whimsy of English gardens with Boullée’s architectural gravitas. The eclectic pathways are dotted with a myriad of funerary art: from equestrian statues and miniature castles to pyramids and spectral apparitions, complete with a Bartholomé sculpture that dramatically ushers souls to the afterlife.
In this hallowed ground, about 800,000 souls find their peace, including the lyrical voice of Guillaume Apollinaire, and the venerable Molière. Literary giants like Marcel Proust, Honoré de Balzac, and Gertrude Stein share the company of musical maestro Fryderyk Chopin, with the stage graced by Sarah Bernhardt and Yves Montand, and the canvas colored by Amedeo Modigliani, Eugène Delacroix, and Camille Pissarro. Yet, it’s the graves of Oscar Wilde in plot 89, and Jim Morrison of The Doors in plot 6, that draw a pilgrim’s crowd. The Mur des Fédérés whispers the solemn history of the 1871 revolt, where the last of the Commune’s defenders fell and were hastily entombed at the cemetery’s edge.
With its five gateways, particularly those on boulevard de Ménilmontant, Père Lachaise extends a welcome to visitors. Complimentary maps from the conservation office detail the dwellings of the notable residents. The gates part from 8 AM on weekdays, adjusting with the seasons, and the cemetery’s embrace lasts until the evening’s retreat. The nearby metro stations of Philippe Auguste, Gambetta, and Père Lachaise offer passages to this realm of memory. For a deeper glimpse into this sanctuary, visit the official website or engage in a telephonic exchange at 01 55 25 82 10.
