Layers of Paris

One of the most interesting things about a catacombs trip is getting to see the different layers of Paris. The catacombs themselves had some layers – often there were two different levels above each other, with manholes, stairs, and ladders further adding a three-dimensional element of height and depth. But visiting the catacombs also exposed us to the layers of Paris as a whole. Here’s a few examples.

Our Hotel: View from the roof of our hotel on Rue St. Jacques, view of our second-floor room (that’s the cata map on the table), view from street level, view from the underneath the street in the catacombs.

The Val de Grace: View from street level, view from underneath in the catacombs

The Cemetery Montparnasse: View from above, view from ground level, view from the catacombs underneath the western end, view from the ossuaries underneath the eastern end.

While we only visited the Cemetery Montparnasse in order to get a ground-level shot above the ossuaries, I actually discovered a couple famous graves. First Alfred Dreyfus (of the famous Dreyfus Affair). Second was a joint grave: Simone de Beauvoir and her “longtime companion,” Jean-Paul Sartre.

The shot of the cemetery from above was taken from the Tour Montparnasse – the best and least appreciated of the observation decks of Paris.

All photos by Steve Duncan.