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Cemetery of P猫re-Lachaise, Paris, France. Photo by Carlos Delgado on

Top 10 Unbelievable Facts about Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Pere Lachaise Cemetery which was previously known as Cimeti猫re de I’East (East Cemetery) is the largest cemetery located in the capital of France, Paris. The cemetery was opened in 1804 and named after the confessor to Louis the 15th, Pere Francois de la Chaise.

Pere Francois de la Chaise lived in a Jesuit house that was rebuilt in 1682 on the site where the chapel is. The cemetery sits on 44 hectares or 110 acres of land.

More than three million visits the Pere Lachaise Cemetery on an annual basis making it the most visited necropolis in the world. Several notable figures in arts are buried at Pere Lachaise including Frederic Chopin, Edith Piaf, Marcel Proust, Georges Melies and many more.

This cemetery was the first garden cemetery as well as the first municipal cemetery in Paris. Pere Lachaise holds the site of three World War One memorials. Here are the top 10 Unbelievable Facts about Pere Lachaise Cemetery:

1. Pere Lachaise was Named after Confessor to Louis and Opened by Napoleon

Pere Lachaise and the property alongside were the sites where the king used to watch skirmishing between two armies during the Fronde. However, the city bought these properties in 1804.

Napoleon who had been proclaimed emperor decided to turn this area to become a cemetery for the people living in the city. The name choice came from the confessor to Louis XIV, Pere Francois de la Chaise.

Plans to extend Pere Lachaise Cemetery were put in place by Alexander Theodore Brongniart. This came after Napoleon stated that: 鈥淓very citizen has the right to be buried regardless of race or religion.鈥�

2. The Cemetery Attracted More Burials after Famous Citizens were Buried Here

August 2002, P猫re Lachaise. Photo by Syced on

After the opening of Pere Lachaise Cemetery in 1804, there were just a few people buried. In that year, only thirteen graves were visible at the cemetery.

This pushed the administrators to make some decisions on how to make more citizens bury their people at Pere Lachaise cemetery. With great fanfare, the remains of Jean de La Fontaine and Moli猫re were laid to rest at Pere Lachaise cemetery. This seemed to be a great idea which worked positively.

In 1805, there were 44 more burials with the numbers rising subsequently in the coming years. In 1806, the number rose to 49, then 62 burials in 1807 and 833 burials later in 1812.

What attracted more burials was the moving of the remains of Pierre Abelard and Heloise d Argenteuil alongside their monuments at Pere Lachaise. By 1830, there were more than 30,000 graves at the cemetery which pushed for five phases of expanding the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. In the present day, there are more than one million bodies buried at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

3. First Cremation in France Took Place at Pere Lachaise Cemetery Crematorium

In 1894, a columbarium and crematorium of Byzantine Revival architecture designed by Jean Camille were built in one building. This building is unique in that the roof has a large brick sandstone dome, 3 small domes and a chimney.

Later in the 1920s, the crematorium鈥檚 main dome was decorated with stained glass windows. This crematorium was the first ever to be built in France.

On 30th January 1889, the first ever cremation took place in France at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. This happened after a law proclaimed freedom of funerals. The crematorium has more than 40,800 cases for the conservation of the cremation of the remains.

4. Religious Emblems Are Allowed at Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Chapel of the cemetery 鈥淧猫re Lachaise鈥�, Paris, France. Photo by Dietmar Rabich on

In 1804, Napoleon addressed the major question of religious organisations at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. There was religious division whereby a section of the cemetery was dedicated to specific religions.

This was repealed in 1881 but there were already several religious enclosures of Muslims and Jewish. Currently, religious emblems are allowed during private funeral ceremonies only. The cross that was placed at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery was removed.

5. Pere Lachaise Cemetery Houses Several Monuments

Monument to the municipal workers of the P猫re-Lachaise cemetery. Photo by Neurdein on

The Monument aux Morts by Albert Bartholome was the first to be erected at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. This monument opened the way to several monuments at this cemetery.

Some of the monuments presently at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery include:

a) Monuments for foreign soldiers allied to France in WW1

b) Monuments for the foreign soldiers of WW2

c) Monuments in memory of the victims of concentration and extermination camps

d) Monuments for the victims of catastrophic aerial accidents, and

e) Monuments in homage to the suppression of the Paris working-class uprising.

6. There are Strict Rules for One to be Buried at Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Previously, it was easier for people鈥檚 remains to be buried at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. However, this changed over time as more people were laid to rest at the cemetery.

There are strict rules for people to be buried at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery these days. One of the rules is that people can be buried if they die in the French capital city or if they resided there.
The other strict action to be followed is the long waiting list. The plots available are few and people to be buried are more. One has to wait for their turn on the list to arrive for burial.

7. Grave Sites at Pere Lachaise Cemetery are Squeezed and are the Size of Telephone Booths

P猫re Lachaise cemetery under the snow, January 4. Photo by Syced on

With a large number of people鈥檚 remains at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, the space is running out as there is no area for expansion. This has left the Pere Lachaise Cemetery grave sites ll and squeezed like telephone booths.

The only space remaining is for the visiting family members or friends to lay the flowers and kneel inside to say a word of prayer.

8. Pere Lachaise Still Manages to Bury More Remains in Finite and Crowded Space

P猫re-Lachaise Cemetery. Photo by Pierre-Yves Beaudouin on

With over one million remains of people already buried at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, more remains are still in line for burial. The cemetery still manages to get a room for the burial of the increasing number of bodies.

One way of fitting them is by combining the remains of multiple people in the same grave. A grave can be reopened and another coffin interred on top of it.

In some of the mausoleums and tombs, there are multi-family and dozens of bodies. There are several shelves installed to accommodate all the bodies.

9. Pere Lachaise Cemetery Leases Gravesites to Some Individuals

With the space at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery running out, the administrators came up with a new way of creating some private gravesites. A standard practice of leasing gravesites was introduced and worked well.

Plots can be bought and leased for 50, 30 or 10 years. The prices of leasing are not that cheap as the more the years of the lease, the more expensive it gets.

10. Pere Lachaise Cemetery Holds a Record Number of Human Remains

P猫re-Lachaise Cemetery. Photo by Pierre-Yves Beaudouin on

Pere Lachaise Cemetery is one of the largest in the world. Several human remains have been buried here over the years since it was opened.

Early reports indicated that the cemetery holds 300,000 human remains. However, Pere Lachaise Cemetery holds close to two and three million human remains.

This is a nice area to visit and see the monuments and how some of the famous people in France were laid to rest.