Presentation of the Père Lachaise Cemetery
Nestled on the heights of eastern Paris, the Père-Lachaise cemetery is much more than just a resting place. With its cobblestone paths lined with cypress trees and its tombs sculpted like masterpieces, it offers a unique atmosphere, between reflection and contemplation.
Here lie illustrious figures who have marked history, literature, music, and cinema. From Molière to Oscar Wilde, from Jim Morrison to Édith Piaf, each grave tells a life, an era, a legend. Between grand mausoleums and discreet graves overrun with moss, Père-Lachaise is an open-air museum where funerary art meets the stories of the great names that have shaped global culture.
Far from being just a cemetery, it is a timeless place for a stroll, where every turn reveals a new story. An unforgettable walk at the heart of Parisian memory.
The Père Lachaise Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Paris, but also one of the most famous in the world. Located in the 20th arrondissement, it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year to the graves of many famous people. It also houses three memorials from World War I.
Originally called Champ-l'Évêque, Mont-aux-Vignes, and then Mont-Louis, the land was occupied in the 17th century by François d'Aix de La Chaise, known as Père La Chaise, confessor to King Louis XIV. Upon the death of the Jesuit father, his brother, the Count of La Chaise, held many parties there, which contributed to its expansion and beautification. At that time, a law from 1765 prohibited cemeteries in the city. It was Napoleon Bonaparte, then consul, who later decreed that "every citizen has the right to be buried regardless of their race or religion." Alexandre Théodore Brongniart was then tasked with designing the cemetery, which opened in 1804.
Among those buried there, we can mention: Guillaume Apollinaire, François Arago, Honoré de Balzac, Henri Barbusse, Alexandre Théodore Brongniart, Maria Callas, Frédéric Chopin, Alphonse Daudet, Eugène Delacroix, Jean de la Fontaine, Paul Éluard, Félix Faure, Molière, Yves Montand, Jim Morrison, Jean Moulin, Edith Piaf, Marcel Proust, Marie Trintignant, Oscar Wilde.
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Activities in the Surroundings
Louvre Museum
Picasso Museum
Bateaux-Mouches
