{"id":14390,"date":"2019-04-29T05:58:15","date_gmt":"2019-04-29T03:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/?p=14390"},"modified":"2021-11-09T12:13:45","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T10:13:45","slug":"friedhof-pere-lachaise-in-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/france\/paris\/friedhof-pere-lachaise-in-paris\/","title":{"rendered":"P\u00e8re Lachaise Cemetary in Paris \u2013 time travelling through French funeral traditions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Good that the sun is out. I don\u2019t want to be here on a foggy autumn morning \u2013 on the P\u00e8re Lachaise Cemetary in Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

It was more than 35\u00b0C in Paris and we were looking for a space that was a little cooler, with a few trees maybe\u2026 what we found was the P\u00e8re Lachaise Cemetary in Paris with its shaded and quiet paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, a visit to a cemetery is maybe not exactly what one does on a city trip. But this cemetery is special, not only because it is the largest one in Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"friedhof<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The history of the P\u00e8re Lachaise Cemetary in Paris<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Due to an edict that prohibited graves on churchyards within the city walls, new cemeteries had to be established in Paris at the beginning of the 19th century. Future cemeteries were to be state governed and outside of the boundaries of the city. In 1803 the Seine prefect purchased a vast area of gardens to the east of Paris. The area was enlarged, re-designed and renamed after the Jesuit pater Fran\u00e7ois d\u2019Aix de Lachaise (1624\u20131709). Lachaise used to be the father confessor of Louis XIV.\nThe concept for the overall structure of the cemetery was designed by an architect who inserted big axes throughout. He had originally planned some monument graves as well but only one of those was ever realised.
\nThe first funeral on the cemetery took place on the 21st of May 1804.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, the cemetery measures 44 hectares and is home to 69000 graves. Space on the cemetery is not exclusively for famous people. Anyone who can afford it can be buried here. The price for a permanent grave in 2012 was 13430\u20ac. There are no fixed rules for the design of an individual grave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"P\u00e8re<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is so special about the cemetery?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I have never seen a cemetery quite like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"P\u00e8re<\/figure>
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Wide paths lead to spacious areas in which the graves are arranged in rows. Due to the fact that everyone is free to design their grave to their own desires, a visit to the cemetery is almost like visiting a museum. Small and large mausolea can be seen here. Graves with small huts on them. Statues in all shapes and sizes.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This is travelling through the history of French burial traditions. Walking down some of the paths evoked thoughts of horror movies pretty much immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Run down, weathered graves that look like small houses. Thoughts of crawling fog, darkness and shivers down my spine took over despite the bright sunshine on that day. This is pure inspiration for set designers.
We stopped at many graves and pondered why a particular design was chosen and who the deceased person must have been for their families to make certain decisions. Why does one build a pyramid or a large chimney on a grave? Who are the sometimes huge statues on the graves? Depictions of the dead? <\/p>\n\n\n\n