Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris is the largest in the city and a popular tourist attraction. It houses the graves of famous figures from history, music, literature, art, theater, and science, as well as World War I memorials and beautiful funerary art. The cemetery’s popularity began in 1804 when the remains of famous French authors La Fontaine and Molière were moved there. Today, visitors can see the graves of Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, and many other famous figures. Maps of the cemetery are available, and visitors are advised to plan their itinerary before entering.
Pere Lachaise Cemetery, located in Paris, France, is the largest cemetery in the city and one of the most visited cemeteries in the world. In Pere Lachaise you can visit the graves of numerous celebrities from the world of history, music, literature, art, theater and science. In addition, the cemetery contains five World War I memorials, boasts beautiful scenery and romantic atmosphere, and offers a rich variety of 19th and early 20th century funerary art.
Pere Lachaise Cemetery’s origins as the final resting place for the famous began when the cemetery first opened in 1804. Pere Lachaise was one of many cemeteries opened during this period outside central Paris in response to prohibition of cemeteries within the capital, considered dangerous to health. The cemetery’s popularity and prestige was something of a Napoleonic government marketing scheme, as the remains of 17th-century French authors La Fontaine and Molière were moved there the same year it opened. This stunt was followed 17 years later by the burial of the legendary medieval lovers Heloise and Abelard, accompanied by a spectacular monument in their honour. This cemetery quickly became the most popular place in Paris to be buried.
Today, tourists from all over the world visit this cemetery for its unique atmosphere and famous graves. The primacy of the most visited grave goes to that of Jim Morrison, American singer-songwriter and lead singer of the Doors. Due to the constant acts of vandalism, his grave is now constantly guarded by a security guard. Other artists buried here include French singer Edith Piaf, American dancer Isidora Duncan and actors Sarah Bernhardt, Yves Montand and Simone Signoret.
Many of Pere Lachaise’s famous tombs house the remains of those who contributed to the world of high culture. Famous authors include Honore de Balzac, Marcel Proust, Alfred de Musset, Gerard de Nerval, Guillaume Apollinaire, Colette, Oscar Wilde, Richard Wright, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. Artists buried here include Eugene Delacroix, Gustave Dore, Camille Pissarro, Georges-Pierre Seurat, Pierre Paul Prud’hon, Gustave Caillebotte, Theodore Gericault, Rene Lalique and Max Ernst. Composers Frederic Chopin and George Enescu complete the list. The cemetery is also the resting place of some eminent scientists, including the physiologist Claude Bernard, the engineer Zenobe Gramme and the sociologist Henri de Saint-Simon.
Pere Lachaise is a must see for anyone visiting Paris. The cemetery has its own tube stop and maps of the famous grave sites are available from many vendors nearby. It’s a good idea to look at a map and plan your itinerary before entering the cemetery, as its size can be overwhelming and it can be quite a trek between grave sites.
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