33. The Catacombs.
The Catacombs were formerly quarries known and employed
as far back as the Roman period, yielding a soft kind of limestone
which hardens on exposure to the air. Many of the streets
in the S. part of Paris, being undermined by these quarries, began
to give indications of sinking, in consequence of which in
1784 steps were taken by government to avert the danger by constructing
piers and buttresses where the upper surface was insufficiently
supported. About the same time the Council of
State issued a decree for the removal of the bodies from the
Cemetery of the Innocents and others to these subterranean quarries.
The catacombs were accordingly consecrated in 1786 and
the work of conveying the bones to their new receptacle performed
by night. During the revolution and the Reign of Terror
immense numbers of bodies were thrown into these cavities, and
the bones brought from other quarters were heaped together in
confused masses. In 1810, however, a regular system was commenced
for the more seemly disposition of these remains and the
proper organisation of their final resting-place. New pillars have
since then been erected to support the roof, excavations made to
admit more air, and channels dug to convey away the underground
springs. The galleries and different compartments are
completely lined with human bones, arranged with great care and
intermingled with rows of skulls. Several chapels have also been
constructed entirely of the same ghastly materials and furnished
with various inscriptions. There are altogether upwards of sixty
different entrances to the catacombs, the principal staircases being
at the former Barrière de l'Enfer, in the Rue de la Tombe Isoire
and in the plain of Montsouris. These gloomy caverns once constitued
one of the usual sights of Paris; the public are now
excluded, and it is a matter of great difficulty to obtain permission
to visit them. The official to whom application must be
made is the Ingénieur en Chef des mines et inspecteur général des
carrières de Paris, who resides at the Hôtel de Ville.
