Underground Paris: The Catacombs

You've entered the building. A long stone spiral stair case leads down.

At the bottom... a small gallery. And from there, a long dark tunnel.

"Workshop" - This would be the typical appearance of the quarry before the intervention of the Inspector General of Quarries. Wall reinforcements were put in place from the end of the 15th century onwards. These reinforcments consisted of secondary walls of dry stone built just inside the main quarry walls, with the space behind filled with rubble, primarily mining waste.

We come to a junction. To the left is a passage leading to the maze of rock quarries totaling nearly 300 kilometers underneath Paris. These quarries, in continuous use since the Romans, provided a location for the tomb we are about to enter. We turn to the right.

Another long, dark tunnel greets us. We are now 25 meters under the surface of Paris. After more walking, the wet gravel of the floor crunching under our feet, we approach our destination.

Go back to the surface.

Examine the map.

Approach the Ossuary.