Ghost Stories of Père-Lachaise: Paris’s Legendary Cemetery
Spooky Stories & Haunted Houses
Ghouls, ghosts, and all things witchy are part of the Autumn spirit. Visiting Père-Lachaise in Autumn is perfect timing.
The largest green space in Paris is also home to celebrities that attract 3 million visitors per year. Say bonjour to Edith Piaf, Honoré de Balzac, Frédéric Chopin, Oscar Wilde, and more.
As the leaves turn brown and fall amongst the grave stones, there is a peace amongst the pathways. It's a lovely space to go for a stroll. And even more fun when you know some of the cemetery's little secrets.
The Ghosts Of Père-Lachaise
With over 70,000 burial plots, there's bound to be some nocturnal activity! In the spirit of the season, I share with you a few ghost stories and other fun facts about this internationally famous cemetery.
Countess Démidoff
In the center of the cemetery, in the 19th district, is a huge funerary monument dedicated to Baroness Stroganoff, wife of Count Demidoff . Born in Russia into one of the richest families of the 17th century, she married at the age of 16. She and her husband lived in Paris during the years that he was a diplomat. According to legend, she did not want to be alone in her grave. It is said that she would bequeath her fortune to any man who would stay in the tomb, for 365 days and 366 nights. There were 3 attempts but rumor is that these brave men went crazy. However according to legend, the white lady, as she is nicknamed, continues to roam the cemetery in order to attract her next companion.
“After my death, if you come to see me, put your hand on the back of the neck of the statue which will overhang my tomb. Then make a wish. If you are granted, come back with flowers.”
Lovers After Death
Some stories claim that the spirits of Marcel Proust and Maurice Ravel, lovers in life, come out of their graves at night in search of each other.
Meanwhile, guards of the cemetery claim that the spirit of actress Sarah Bernhardt regularly walks the paths at night.
The Ghost Of Jim Morrison
One of the most famous graves (and ghosts!) in the cemetery is American singer/songwriter Jim Morrison. Guards say that it used to require constant policing with fans smoking, drinking, and playing guitar on his gravestone.
In 1997, Brett Meisner, a rock historian, visited his grave and asked to have his picture taken. But when he presents the photo to one of his assistants, he makes a startling discovery. In the photo, behind Meisner, there's an apparition in all white, much like the costuming Morrison used to wear. This image has been studied, with claims that there's no editing.
The Beginning
At the beginning of the 19th century , several new cemeteries were thus created outside the limits of the capital: the Montmartre cemetery to the north, the East cemetery, the Montparnasse cemetery to the south and, to the west of the city, the Passy cemetery The prefect of Paris decreed the allocation of the 17 hectares of Mont-Louis to the creation of the "Eastern cemetery".
Expansion of the cemetery
The first burial was on May 21, 1804 of a five-year-old girl, Adélaïde Paillard de Villeneuve, daughter of a doorman. Since then, the cemetery slow grew. Père-Lachaise underwent five expansions at this time: in 1824, 1829, 1832, 1842 and 1850. Now spanning 43 hectares, the cemetery has 75,393 tombs, 4,000 trees, a hundred cats, and numerous birds.
The Communards' Wall
Le mur des Fédérés is part of the enclosure of Père-Lachaise. The daily newspaper La France on June 1, 1871 quoted:
"Every year, on May 28, the revolutionaries go there to lay red wreaths. Père Lachaise was one of the last refuges of the Federated States of the Commune of 1871. From Thursday, May 25, they had set up very close to the monument of the Duc de Morny, which served as an ammunition shelter, a battery of 10 x 7 pieces which fired tirelessly on the districts of Paris already occupied by the regular army. On Saturday, May 27, at nightfall, a detachment of the 47th line burst into the cemetery, where they fought furiously. Many graves still bear the traces of bullets. The next day, Sunday, May 28, in the early hours of the day, 148 prisoners were shot together at the location that became famous as the Mur des Fédérés. The corpses were buried in a pit dug at the foot of this wall."
Delescluze, the last Minister of War of the Commune, has his tomb very close to the site where the federated artillery batteries were installed.
“Remember that when you leave this earth, you take nothing of what you have received - only what you have given.”
Montmartre Cemetery & the homeless Kitties
On February 17, 2021, about a month after launching This French Life, it was the height of Covid and our lockdowns in France.
With everything shuttered, and frost on the ground, I decided to create a mini-series on Francisque Poulbot. In doing so, I got to learn about and meet the kitties of the Montmartre cemetery that keep him company all day long.
This is where I hope to be buried someday. It would mean that I got my last wish - to pass my final breath in France AND in Paris!
Here is the full playlist but, if you don't watch it all, at least check out the kitties in episode five!
