Catacombs of Paris and Rome

The catacombs in Paris reopened on May 1, 2008 after receiving a three month renovation to make them safer for visitors. I personally found it hard enough to get to all the tourist sites above ground in Paris. Didn't think of those that lay on the other side of the lawn. The Paris catacombs made use of old mine shafts that, back in the 1700s, lay outside the main city.

In the 1700s, the city began removing human remains from overcrowded, unsanitary cemeteries.

Doesn't that sound like a fun job?

In the end, the remains of millions of Parisians' were transferred to these catacombs and the bones were often laid out in fanciful patterns, such as hearts or crosses.

Rome is the home of some of the oldest and longest catacombs in the world, with its tunnels stretching hundreds of kilometers. Some of these are also open to visitors while some have yet to be explored at all.

The oldest tunnels date back to the first century when the Jewish community built them as cemeteries. Christian catacombs came a century later. All Christian catacombs in Rome are property of the Catholic Church, and no one is allowed to explore them without special permission from the Vatican.

Some think the Holy Grail may be found somewhere in Rome's catacombs. These were also used for one of the Indian Jones movies, except in the film Jones allegedly finds the catacombs of Venice from under an old library.

Anne Rice, in her book The Vampire Lestat, describes the catacombs of Paris as the book's main character, Lestat, discovers a coven of Vampires that resides in its dark recesses.

National Geographic's website has alot more information about the catacombs of Rome, including the above shown photos.