Mysterious underworld
These catacombs in Europe give you goose bumps
The remains of millions of people are stored in the catacombs of Paris.
© Kelli Hayden / Shutterstock.com
A gloomy world hides beneath cities like Rome. Thousands are buried in catacombs. A journey through the realm of the dead.
A horrific remnant of the past is slumbering under some European metropolises. In some cases millions of people have found their final resting place in catacombs. Today the underground vault complexes attract thousands of tourists every year. A journey through the realm of the dead in three cities.
The dark side of Paris
“Stop! This is where the realm of the dead begins!” Can be read at the entrance to the catacombs in Paris. About 20 meters below the city of love lie the remains of around six million people. The catacombs extend over 350 kilometers and can be reached via 136 steps at Place Denfert-Rochereau. Only two kilometers of it are accessible to visitors. The area served as a quarry before the 18th century. But when space became scarce in the cemeteries, the stone book was given a new function.
The dead found a new resting place in the catacombs. Anyone who would like to visit the underground tomb after the corona pandemic should dress warmly. Because down here, whether December or August, the temperature is around 14 degrees Celsius.
Mummies in Sicily
In the capital of Sicily, Palermo, there is also an extensive crypt to marvel at. In the catacombs of the monastery church of Santa Maria della Pace, however, there are no bones as in Paris, but around 8,000 mummies. In 1599 the monks decided to dig a new grave vault to make more space for the dead. When they wanted to transfer corpses to the new burial chambers, they made a discovery: many of the dead had hardly decayed. Shortly afterwards, the monks began to display the mummies – visitors can still see them today.
In particular, the body of the two-year-old Rosalia Lombardo, who died in 1920, is known beyond the country’s borders. Many call her the “most beautiful mummy in the world”. In fact, the girl looks like she’s just sleeping. There is a reason that it is so well preserved: the girl’s father hired an embalming artist who apparently knew his trade very well.
Rome and its 60 catacombs
There are more than 60 catacombs in Rome. Only a few are open to visitors – for example the Sebastian Catacomb in the south of the Italian capital. The first aisles were laid out at the end of the first century to bury both pagans and Christians. After the Christian martyr Sebastian was buried there around 288, it was named “Catacombe San Sebastiano”.
Over time, the world below the surface grew – there were mausoleums and memorials on four floors. Unfortunately not much has survived, but some wall paintings can still be seen. Other underground tombs in Rome that visitors can enter are the Catacombs of Calixtus and Domitilla.