Travel Tips

Odd idea to visit a graveyard. Not so odd when it is the "Père Lachaise". It is both a garden and a free sculpture exibit. And it is inhabited by famous persons from world wide.

The cemetary was set up at the beginning of the 19th Century on the former garden of the Louis 14th's confessor, Father Lachaise. Its aim was to be the main Parisian cemetary in order to stop the burying in the churchs or near the houses.

To persuade the people, the first occupiers were famous persons : Molière, La Fontaine, etc.... The goal have been reached and all the VIP wanted and want to have their graves here.

The above map shows only a part of the cemetary. You can have the whole area at :
http://gargl.net/lachaise/

You can buy a map at the entrance or in the flowers shops nearby.

Metro (subway) : Père Lachaise or Gambetta.

The last resistance of the Parisian Revolution of 1871 (La Commune) took place in the Père Lachaise. The last "Communards" were executed against a wall of the cemetary : "le Mur des Fédérés".

The grave of the Commune poet Jean-Baptiste Clément is naturally located near the Federates Wall. He wrote a song "The Cherry Time" some years before the Commune and he dedicated it at a canteen keeperess of the Commune. So it became the Commune song.

Georges Méliès was the inventor of special effects in the movie (for example : From Earth to Moon).

All the world is represented in the cemetary.

I frequent the Père Lachaise for years and at each visit, at least one foreigner asks me where is Jim Morisson's grave.

I answered : "it is where there are a crowd and plenty of writings on the stones".

Now I say : "it is where there is a crowd and a guard to prevent the writings on the stones".

For you : it is the number 1 on the above map.

Nearby, there is the Allan Kardec's grave. He was the father of the spiritism and there is always a praying follower at his monument.

Victor Noir was a journalist. He was killed by a cousin of Napoleon 3rd, Pierre Bonaparte, when he visited the Prince to arrange a duel for an other journalist.

He would be forgoten but his statue has the reputation to give the fertility to the women. If you look with attention at the statue you can guess why.

They are the oldest tenants of the graveyard.

Abélard was a famous teacher of the Quartier Latin during the Middle Age. He was the tenant of a priest who had a beautiful niece : Héloïse. Abélard felt in love but the uncle disagreed and made Abelard to become unable to love Héloïse or anybody else (I do not say more).

The lovers are gathered for eternity in the same grave.

I recommend to romantic people.

Recently cleaned, the grave of Frederic Chopin is still visited by music lovers.

Help, Help, leave me go out !

or

Hello guys, snap your fingers !

Some rich families have a private chapel in the cemetary.

No, it is not the Ronald MacDonald's grave.

But rather the monument of the family of the Marechal McDonald who was a Napoleon's officer.

The surprising statue of the politician Anatole de la Forge who organized the French resistance during the War with Prussia in 1870.