Père Lachaise Cemetery - The Largest Cemetery in Paris
Père Lachaise is the largest cemetery in Paris covering around 110 acres and is the most visited necropolis in the world. The cemetery used to be called the East Cemetery or cimetière de l'Est. It gets millions of visitors every year, literally a 3.5 million visitors visit the place annually.
This might be because the cemetery is home to many celebrities including Frédéric Chopin, Édith Piaf, Marcel Proust, Sarah Bernhardt, Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Balzac, Molière, Colette and Adolphe Thiers (the second elected President of France).
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Père Lachaise - A Brief History
The Père Lachaise is located in the 20th arrondissement and claims the fame of being the first ‘garden cemetery’ and the first municipal cemetery in Paris. The property was bought by the city in 1804, and Napoleon, who had been recently proclaimed Emperor, declared that "Every citizen has the right to be buried regardless of race or religion".
However because the cemetery was open to all, Catholics did not choose to be buried there at first and the cemetery got off to a slow start. It was not a popular choice until the city improved the perception of the cemetery and cleverly made it a more desirable choice. They changed public perception by relocating a number of prominent persons to the new cemetery. This gave it more appeal and eventually the cemetery became a popular choice.
Père Lachaise cemetery is also the site of three World War I memorials.
It's interesting to know that Père Lachaise was expanded five times including in 1824, 1829, 1832, 1842 and 1850. It now accommodates more than 1 million bodies.
A Personal recount of visiting Père Lachaise Cemetery by Linda
After reading about Montparnasse Cemetery, reader Linda shared with us at A French Collection her personal experience of visiting Père Lachaise Cemetery. I thought you'd also like to hear about some of the famous graves she discovered during her visit. I've also included practical information on visiting the cemetery and where you can download a map and guide for your next visit.
On our third trip to Paris in 2014, with 5 days to explore, we visited a few places we had not been to on shorter trips. One of these was the Père Lachaise cemetery which takes its name from King Louis XIV's confessor, Father François d'Aix de La Chaise. It is the most prestigious and most visited necropolis in Paris.
Situated in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, it extends 44 hectares and contains 70,000 burial plots. The cemetery is a mix between an English park and a shrine. All funerary art styles are represented: Gothic graves, Haussmanian burial chambers, ancient mausoleums and more. On the green paths, visitors cross the burial places of famous men and women .
Boasting an extraordinary variety of plants, this sprawling park combines elegant landscaping and semi-wild areas. It has an amazing 5,000 trees which provide many beautiful shady walks. There are seats for resting, and given its high position, you'll get a beautiful view over Paris including the Eiffel Tower.
Jim Morrison
A really popular grave to visit is that of Jim Morrison. He was the Doors music group leader. The uniqueness of this grave is due to the cemetery rules on who can be buried here. Morrison was allowed - not because he was a famous musician - but because he once authored a book.
The only electric light in the cemetery is above his grave site to ward off vandals. The area is also fenced off and many tributes of wrist bands and ornaments have been tied to the fence panels.
Georges Bizet
If you appreciate opera, you may like to visit the grave of French opera composer Georges Bizet. Bizet was just beginning to gain success and widespread recognition when his life was cut short by a heart attack at age 36. His final and best opera, Carmen, is still immensely popular today and much of its music such as "Habanera" and "The Toreador's Song" is instantly recognisable.
A stately upright monument on his tomb features a bronze laurel wreath encircling a lyre.
Theodore Géricault
A very ornate grave is that of painter Theodore Géricault. He died young at 32, yet he exerted a huge impact on the French Romanticism movement. He influenced younger artists such as Delacroix, Turner, Courbet, and Manet. Today, his best- known work is The Raft of the Medusa executed by sculptor Antoine Etex in bronze on the front of his tomb. It's a reclining statue of himself perched on top.
Fernand Arbelot
An interesting grave to visit is of Fernand Arbelot. The realistic sculpture of the French actor lying on his tomb while holding a mask representing his grieving wife, supposedly enabling him to gaze at her, is touchingly romantic. But I wondered when looking at it, is there another story?
Oscar Wilde
A stone angel with huge out-stretched wings adorns the tomb of the Irish author Oscar Wilde. He went into exile in France towards the end of the 19th century after being disowned by his native country.
Cino Del Du-ca
After playing a major role in the French Resistance against the Nazi occupation of France during World War II, Italian-born Cino Del Du-ca became a successful magazine publisher before moving into movie production. The Pieta sculpture by acclaimed Italian sculptor Francesco Messina on the tomb he shares with his wife Simone is one of the most beautiful works of art in the cemetery.
Édith Piaf
With a life story to rival most soap operas, Piaf’s life began and ended in Paris. Despite suffering severe poverty and destitution as a child, Piaf’s talent for singing was her ticket off the streets and into bars and clubs. This included the hangouts of Nazi officers for whom she was obliged to perform, and eventually onto the global music scene.
Piaf’s career was short and plagued with misfortune but her fan base was huge with over 1,000 people paying their respects and coming to view her body after she died.
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric Chopin is also buried at this cemetery and his grave draws a crowd with lots of people leaving flowers and plants at the base of his grave.
There were just so many beautiful sculptures, many of people I had not heard of. What I found most emotional and will remember mostly from my visit to Père Lachaise cemetery were the memorials for the victims of the Holocaust.
My top tip for visiting the cemetery is to stick to the main paths if you are limited with time. As most of the ornate graves are on the main walkways, this will help you to see lots of the famous graves. The cemetery has many large trees that offer cooling shade, so visiting this Parisian attraction is a smart choice during hot summer days.
Important Information for Visiting Père Lachaise Cemetery
Address: 16 Rue du Repos, 75020 Paris and admission is free.
To get to the cemetery you have a couple of options:
- Alight at the Philippe Auguste Métro station on Line 2 for the main entrance
- Alight at the Père Lachaise Metro station from Line 2 for the side entrance (500 metres walk)
- Alight at the Père Lachaise Metro station from Line 3 for the side entrance (approx 500 metres walk)
Offical website of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau
You can download an official map of the cemetery here
