Saints Innocents Cemetery
Encyclopedia
The Saints Innocents Cemetery (French: Cimetière des Saints-Innocents or Cimetière des Innocents) is a defunct cemetery in Paris
that was used from the Middle Ages until the late 18th century
. It was the oldest and largest cemetery in Paris and had often been used for mass grave
s. It was closed because of overuse in 1780, and in 1786 the bodies were exhumed and transported to the unused subterranean quarries near Montparnasse
known as the Catacombs
. The place Joachim-du-Bellay
in the Les Halles
district now covers the site of the cemetery.
The cemetery took its name (referring to the Biblical
Massacre of the Innocents
) from the attached church of the Saints Innocents that has now also disappeared.
Under the reign of Philip II
the cemetery was enlarged surrounded by a three meter tall wall.
Les Innocents had begun as a cemetery of individual sepulchres, but had become a site for mass graves by then. People were buried together in the same pit (a pit could hold about 1,500 dead at a time); only when it was completely full would another be opened.
In the 14th and 15th century, to relieve the overcrowding of the mass graves, citizens constructed arched structures called charniers along the cemetery walls; bones from the graves were deposited here.
Between 1423 and 1424, a fresco of the Danse Macabre
was painted at a wall of one of the charniers. It was one of the earliest and best known depictions of this theme. It was destroyed in 1669.
In the 16th century, the prominent Renaissance anatomist, Andreas Vesalius, studied the bones of corpses in the Saints Innocents cemetery.
During the reign of Louis XV
, inspectors recorded accounts of the difficulties in conducting business in the area due to the unsanitary conditions of the cemetery, caused by overuse and incomplete decomposition of bodies.
Two edicts by Louis XVI
to move the parish cemeteries out of the city were resisted by the church, which profited from burial fees. To reduce the number of burials, the price of burials was increased. After a prolonged period of rain in spring 1780, conditions became untenable. On 4 September 1780, an edict forbade burying corpses in Les Innocents and in all other cemeteries in Paris.
Bodies were exhumed and the bones were moved to the Catacombs in 1786.
Many bodies had incompletely decomposed and had turned into fat (margaric acid). During the exhumation, this fat was collected and subsequently turned into candles and soap.
The church was destroyed in 1787 and the cemetery was replaced by a herb and vegetable market. The Fountain of the Nymphs which had been erected in 1549 next to the church was dismantled and rebuilt in the center of the new market. Now known as the "Fountain of Innocents
," it still stands on the place Joachim-du-Bellay today.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
that was used from the Middle Ages until the late 18th century
18th century
The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar.During the 18th century, the Enlightenment culminated in the French and American revolutions. Philosophy and science increased in prominence. Philosophers were dreaming about a better age without the Christian fundamentalism of...
. It was the oldest and largest cemetery in Paris and had often been used for mass grave
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
s. It was closed because of overuse in 1780, and in 1786 the bodies were exhumed and transported to the unused subterranean quarries near Montparnasse
Montparnasse
Montparnasse is an area of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail...
known as the Catacombs
Catacombs of Paris
The Catacombs of Paris or Catacombes de Paris are an underground ossuary in Paris, France. Located south of the former city gate , the ossuary holds the remains of about 6 million people and fills a renovated section of caverns and tunnels that are the remains of Paris' stone mines...
. The place Joachim-du-Bellay
Place Joachim-du-Bellay
Place Joachim-du-Bellay is a vast square located near the center of Paris, France, on the path of the 1st arrondissement of Paris.This square is located near Les Halles and the Pompidou Center, along with being surrounded by many ethic restaurants and stores, thus making this a well provided for...
in the Les Halles
Les Halles
Les Halles is an area of Paris, France, located in the 1er arrondissement, just south of the fashionable rue Montorgueil. It is named for the large central wholesale marketplace, which was demolished in 1971, to be replaced with an underground modern shopping precinct, the Forum des Halles...
district now covers the site of the cemetery.
The cemetery took its name (referring to the Biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
Massacre of the Innocents
Massacre of the Innocents
The Massacre of the Innocents is an episode of infanticide by the King of Judea, Herod the Great. According to the Gospel of Matthew Herod orders the execution of all young male children in the village of Bethlehem, so as to avoid the loss of his throne to a newborn King of the Jews whose birth...
) from the attached church of the Saints Innocents that has now also disappeared.
History
Sources describe the burial ground, then called Champeaux, and associated church in the 12th century. It was located next to the central market (the origin of Les Halles).Under the reign of Philip II
Philip II of France
Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
the cemetery was enlarged surrounded by a three meter tall wall.
Les Innocents had begun as a cemetery of individual sepulchres, but had become a site for mass graves by then. People were buried together in the same pit (a pit could hold about 1,500 dead at a time); only when it was completely full would another be opened.
In the 14th and 15th century, to relieve the overcrowding of the mass graves, citizens constructed arched structures called charniers along the cemetery walls; bones from the graves were deposited here.
Between 1423 and 1424, a fresco of the Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre
Dance of Death, also variously called Danse Macabre , Danza de la Muerte , Dansa de la Mort , Danza Macabra , Dança da Morte , Totentanz , Dodendans , is an artistic genre of late-medieval allegory on the universality of death: no matter one's...
was painted at a wall of one of the charniers. It was one of the earliest and best known depictions of this theme. It was destroyed in 1669.
In the 16th century, the prominent Renaissance anatomist, Andreas Vesalius, studied the bones of corpses in the Saints Innocents cemetery.
During the reign of Louis XV
Louis XV of France
Louis XV was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death. He succeeded his great-grandfather at the age of five, his first cousin Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, served as Regent of the kingdom until Louis's majority in 1723...
, inspectors recorded accounts of the difficulties in conducting business in the area due to the unsanitary conditions of the cemetery, caused by overuse and incomplete decomposition of bodies.
Two edicts by Louis XVI
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
to move the parish cemeteries out of the city were resisted by the church, which profited from burial fees. To reduce the number of burials, the price of burials was increased. After a prolonged period of rain in spring 1780, conditions became untenable. On 4 September 1780, an edict forbade burying corpses in Les Innocents and in all other cemeteries in Paris.
Bodies were exhumed and the bones were moved to the Catacombs in 1786.
Many bodies had incompletely decomposed and had turned into fat (margaric acid). During the exhumation, this fat was collected and subsequently turned into candles and soap.
The church was destroyed in 1787 and the cemetery was replaced by a herb and vegetable market. The Fountain of the Nymphs which had been erected in 1549 next to the church was dismantled and rebuilt in the center of the new market. Now known as the "Fountain of Innocents
Fontaine des Innocents
The Fontaine des Innocents is a monumental public fountain located on the place Joachim-du-Bellay in the Les Halles district in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. Originally called the Fountain of the Nymphs, it was constructed between 1547 and 1550 by architect Pierre Lescot and sculptor...
," it still stands on the place Joachim-du-Bellay today.