Père-Lachaise cemetery
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The cemetery in eastern Paris commonly referred to as “Père-Lachaise cemetery” is the city’s most prestigious and most widely-visited. To date, one million people have been buried there, and it is visited by more than two million people annually.
Père Lachaise cemetery : its tombs bear the names of major figures from the worlds of literature, theatre and music. When the cemetery opened on 21 May 1804, however, Parisians were reticent, and eleven years later, in 1815, there were fewer than 2,000 tombs in the 17-hectare enclosure of the time. The situation was such that those in charge of the cemetery even considered launching a major advertising campaign!
In 1817, the supposed remains of La Fontaine and Molière were transferred to Père-Lachaise (25th division), as were those of Héloïse and Abélard. Thereafter, demand rose sharply, and there were 33,000 tombs by 1830. Between 1824 and 1850, the cemetery was extended six times, bringing it to its current surface area of 44 hectares. The total number of tombs now stands at 70,000.
Map of Père-Lachaise cemetery (PDF format):
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Video
Rencontre avec les amoureux du Père Lachaise par mairiedeparis
Useful information
Cimetière du Père-Lachaise
16, rue du Repos
75020 Paris
Tel.: +33(0)1 55 25 82 10
Metro: Père Lachaise or Philippe Auguste
Buses: 61 or 69
Opening hours
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