In the late 18th century, France faced a period of political upheaval (The French Revolution). This revolution, centered mostly in Paris, was extremely violent, and lead the city to virtually overflow with bodies. There were so many bodies that the Parisians ran out of room in which to bury them. To solve this problem, a number of cemeteries, most famously the Cemetery of the Innocents, were emptied to make room. Under the cover of night, bodies were dug up, and priests carted the bodies into the cities former limestone quarries - quarries which centuries earlier had been used to build such structures as Notre Dame. The bones were stacked on top of one another in these underground tunnels, creating a massive grave beneath the city.
Today, the Catacombs exist as an extensive series of tunnels beneath the city, lined with the skeletal remains of the city's former inhabitants. Many of these bodies now rest unmarked, in the very tunnels from which they extracted the rock to construct their lives' work.
It is rather difficult to get a good picture in the Catacombs. Flashes are strictly prohibited, and light is scarce.
Look closely in this one, you may see a ghost!
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