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Cimetière du Père-Lachaise |
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  As
grandiose as Pere Lachaise may be, it is also testimony
to the egos of the rich and famous, extending and
competing these egos even when their lives cease to
be. The late French songwriter Georges Brassens succinctly
summed it up, “People had their hearts set to
die higher than their asses”. But if it were
not for these dead, we would be deprived of the romantic,
aesthetical and highly varied beauty that makes up
the Pere Lachaise cemetery. Did I also mention The
Door’s frontman Jim Morrison was buried here?!
I shan’t bemoan
the fact too strongly, but as a significant number
of tourists dart off in search of Mr. Mojo Risin'
(which incidentally can take a bit of finding), many
others study the entrance map where all manner of
famous author, poet, painter, politician and war hero
is buried. Take note that the cemetery divisions do
not seem to make sense to the logically minded, and
even upon finding the division and ‘street’
name, you will still need to scour the area to find
graves of interest. A map is recommended, but a random
stroll and the spontaneity of coming up across a familiar
name is more entertaining and romantic, at least in
my experience.
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History
of Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Paris |
Pere Lachaise
derived its name from François d'Aix de
La Chaise (1624-1709), a French Jesuit with considerable
influence, and confessor of Louis XIV after 1675.
In the latter part of the 18th century, cemeteries
were still banned from Paris due to the fear of
disease from fetid corpses, and so most bodies
were taken down below into the catacombs (a small
part of which is open to the public, a subject
for a future tour guide on this website). It wasn’t
until 1804 that Napoléon Bonaparte established
Pere Lachaise, which was a fair distance away
from the hustle and bustle of the city and was
somewhat smaller back in the day.
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  There
are several entrances into the cemetery, which covers
44 hectares (roughly 109 acres), but I have always approached
it from the metro stop named ‘Pere Lachaise’
for the sake of simplicity, but you could also try Philippe
Auguste or Gambetta. The ‘Pere Lachaise’
station intersects between line 2 and 3, so you can
catch either line depending where you are coming from.
When you emerge from the dimmed light of the subterranean
Parisian metro service, and into a temporarily eye squinting
sunshine (I’m an optimist) swinging your head
left and right to take in your surroundings, you will
notice a distinct lack of cemetery. If you have indeed
come up from Pere Lachaise metro, you will need to tilt
your head a few degrees skyward, as the cemetery sits
aloft a long, high wall which forms the perimeter along
this edge. Students constructed the wall to turn the
cemetery into a fortress during the battles of 1814.
Entry is free, and there is a narrow arched walkway
just over the road, which takes you up some steps and
into the graveyard. Most likely somebody will be standing
outside the entrance selling maps, so if you are eager
to see some specific graves, I would strongly advise
buying one. Something like “Je voudrais un guide
touristique” should do it, or just point and hold
out some coins. |
  The
cemetery is one that can really be visited at any time
of the year, but catch it on a bright sunny spring or
crisp autumn day and the cemetery comes to life in a
myriad of light and shadow. You can walk leisurely down
the straight avenues, deviate down the less frequented
serpentine paths, or take the adventurous road less
travelled, and venture in and out between sepulchres
and tombstones. You’re guaranteed to see something
unique with each turn of the head, from copper stained
monuments, rain eroded angels, eery supernatural creatures
to gothic gated sepulchres. |
| OSCAR
WILDE |
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Oscar Wilde was originally
buried in the Bagneaux cemetery, enshrouded in
quicklime to try and reduce the cadaver to bones
in a short space of time, and was transported
to Pere Lachaise a couple of years later. American
born sculptor, Sir Jacob Epstein, created and
sculpted the design for Oscar Wilde’s current
resting place. It was apparently vandalised some
years ago, when the penis was broken off, and
was reported to have been used as a paperweight
by the superintendent of the cemetery. I do not
know how much validity there is to the story,
as not much of a protrusion is visible from the
original photographs of the sculpture when brand
new.
Alongside the graffiti, you may notice a plethora
of lipstick kisses plastered over the lower parts
of the tomb – this is a tradition carried
out by Wilde’s admirers. |
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JIM MORRISON |
 Jim
Douglas Morrison
Jim Morrison’s very modest grave
tends to attract a lot of attention with the tourists.
As a big admirer of The Doors, I admit to seeking it
out myself, trying to rely on the haze of rising smoke
and crowds of strange people (people are strange). Even
so, you need to have your eyes peeled as it isn’t
immediately obvious and is slightly tucked away from
the main path. There’s usually a security guy
on watch, as the grave is subject to abuse, and is cordoned
off by metal barriers. You’ll probably find lots
of junk and cigarettes littered over the grave, along
with flowers and tributes.
Original witnesses to Morrison’s burial said it
was a piteous affair, lasting all of ten minutes, with
no priest or prayer. His headstone bears a Greek expression
erected by his parents’ “KATA TON DAIMONA
EAYTOY” which was intended to mean ‘faithful
to his own spirit’, although translates more literally
along the lines of ‘towards his own demon’.
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Victor Noir (Yvan Salman)
  Noir’s
sculpture depicts a noticeable protuberance around the
upper trouser department, and as a result has fallen
damage to excessive rubbing from female visitors (see
photo on the left). For a time a fence was erected to
prevent more damage around the groin, but protests had
this removed. A woman who slips a flower into the upturned
hat and kisses the lips of the statue is reported to
find a husband by the end of the year. Lewd acts or
indecent rubbing may however result in prosecution!
In life Victor Noir was a journalist, who was killed
by Pierre Bonaparte (great nephew of the emperor Napoleon)
in a duel.
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