|
The
cemetery of the Innocents, Paris.
The Square of the Innocents today
|
During the
eighteenth century the burial grounds of Paris were as appalling as
those of London; in the case of the Cimetière des Innocents in the Halle
district, perhaps even more so. Since the fourth century this ground was the main
burial place in the city, particularly for the poor. During the
fourteenth century huge pits holding up to 1500 bodies were left open
until full. It is estimated
that over the centuries between two and six million bodies were buried here.
As shown in these engravings, this was achieved with the use
of the charnier (charnel houses) built around 1400 to surround the
ground The ground floor of
these buildings were used for the more well-to-do burials, while on the
upper floor the bones removed from the ground to make way for new
interments were stacked as grisly relics. As shown in the
engraving, the ground floor arcades were decorated with a macabre dance
of death. In 1418 plague added a further 5,000 corpses to Les
Innocents.
In 1590 during the siege of Paris the bones were put to
grisly use; they were ground down to make flour for 'bone bread' for the
starving population. All those who ate the bread died, probably because
the bones provided no nutrition at all.
The ground was reduced in size at the end of the seventeenth
century when the Rue de la Ferronnerie to the south was widened,
necessitating the removal of the charnier on that side.
By 1780 conditions at les Innocents had become intolerable.
Around 90,000 corpses had been added in the previous 35 years, the
whole area stank, and the soil was incapable of decompositon.
In the district, it was claimed that meat rotted within hours and wine
turned to vinegar. In May, following heavy rain, The weight of the dead in a burial pit had caused a collapse in nearby
cellars and people were asphyxiated.
The ground was closed for burials around 1782, and
cleared during the winters of 1785-6. The charniers were emptied and the
ground cleared out to a depth of 6 feet . The remains were carted across Paris and deposited in the catacombs. |
|
Charnier showing the
'Dance of Death.'
|
|
|
 |
|
Views
of the ground in 1785 before the clearance |
Once the ground had been tidied up, the
Fountain of the Innocents
was moved here. (see photograph at the top of the page). The present
appearance is of a pleasant enough square, popular with roller bladers
and skateboarders, and embellished (where isn't?) with the usual
Macdonalds and KFC. A panel gives information on the history of the
place, of which no doubt 99% of visitors are unaware.
The surrounding area of Les
Halles has been notorious for squalor throughout history. One of the oldest streets in
Paris, La Rue St. Denis, runs down the Eastern side of the square - a
street with a troubled - and troublesome - history. On our visit, the
street was a mix of the lively and seedy, with food shops
and small boutiques rubbing shoulders with cheap strip joints and
sex shops, and street corner prostitutes shivering in the bleak November
wind as they have done here for centuries. |
|
Location - Rue St Denis
runs right to left at the top of the map.
|
|
londonburials.co.uk |