Les Catacombes de Paris: Tranquil or Terrifying?

At turns tranquil and terrifying, our students mustered the courage and curiosity to descend 20 meters underground to visit les Catacombes de Paris in the 14th arrondissement. Home to over 6 million bones, our students came in small groups of fifteen. While above it was noisy with the sound of pigeons, sirens, construction and chatter, below it was almost chilly & calm save for the occasional astonishment of our students. The steps down seemed neverending for quite a few students though the disorienting effect made the first room that much more impactful. 

While some took restrained photos, others took in the inspirational quotes inscribed in plaques or marveled at the symmetrically aligned femurs, skulls and ajoining bricks. Occasional wells and ceiling holes became portals into distant imaginary worlds, such as the more screen & time occupied one we left behind. Some students walked arm in arm until more comfortable in strange surroundings. Others peeked around corners wondering where they would lead. This was a cultural excursion that students really took in not rushing through and providing interesting sights and food for thought & reflection. 

Famous figures such as Robespierre, Pascal, Montesquieu, Rabelais and Colbert are just some of the citizens here who were moved from their crowded cemeteries centuries ago along with simpler & now forgotten Parisians. The conditions had become unsanitary and necessitated the creation of the now famous catacombs. Many students had already previously heard of the catacombs before our visit (*and a couple knew some of the famous Parisian inhabitants!) whether from family members who had already made the otherworldly trek, featured Paris stops or even a famous American horror film. 

Once outside and 20 meters back above, we prepared for our debrief with our students. Best practice for our CIEE cultural excursions is to do such debriefs so we can have students reflect and share in French key takeaways, connections to class, shared observations and more all in the target language of French. One essential debrief question  was whether or not the students found the catacombs to be tranquil or terrifying and for what reasons. Many students tended to see them as tranquil if not fascinating as we have nothing of the sort back in the States. Other tranquil elements for them were the geometric and neat arrangement of bones. On the other hand, some students could see it both ways and were quite pleased to ascend back into their former ways! All in all, it was a a wonderful foray into the potentially fearful and reminder of what was once before, and what IS important here and now.