Catacombs of Paris

     The Catacombs of Paris are underground ossuaries.  By the late 1700's the cemeteries inside Paris were so full that graves were mounded up more than six feet higher than the normal ground level outside the graveyards.  They dug up old graves and piled up bones, but the bone piles got too big.  In one instance, a church wall collapsed from the weight of the bone pile pressing against it.  By the end of the 1700's, three cemeteries were established outside of the city and burials inside the city were outlawed.  Since the ground under portions of the city were full of tunnels from abandoned stone mines, the old cemeteries were cleaned out and the bones were deposited underground.  The process was not orderly at first, but by 1810 Louis-Étienne Héricart de Thury ordered that bones be stacked to form patterns.  He also added decorations and tablets bearing inscriptions.  The result was a curiosity that drew visitors.  Visiting was limited to several times per year.  The catacombs closed from 1833-1850 because the church objected to sacred human remains being on public display.  In 1850, the government began allowing monthly visits, then weekly visits.  Today, you can visit the catacombs daily, Tuesday through Sunday.  Six million bodies lie in the catacombs.  There are about 200 miles of tunnels, but only a small portion is open to the public.

The entrance.  The inscription says, "Stop! Here is the empire of the dead."  The catacomb entrance is 130 steps below ground.  You have to climb 83 steps to get out.  

Femurs and skulls are stacked in artistic patterns.

The best I can do translating this:
Thus all that passes on the earth
Spirit, beauty, grace, talent
Is like an ephemeral flower
Tumbled by the smallest wind.

Putting our heads together.

This is the central pillar in a round room.

      In addition to the bones, there are fossil exhibits and stone mining exhibits.  You should wear a jacket because it's cold down in the ground.  It is also a little wet and drippy in some spots.
    I just couldn't resist: