Frenchless in France » Pere Lachaise

Pere Lachaise in a huge famous cemetery in Paris. Many people know of it because Jim Morrisson is buried there but, in fact, there are almost one million people buried there, many also well know, such as Chopin, Colette and Oscar Wilde. I love to wander around here. I decided to visit it on November 1st which was All Saint’s Day. It is a huge national holiday in France and one in which many people visit the graves of those who have died, where the graves are tidied up and flowers are left. It is the day when florists sell their largest amount of flowers for the year. I took so many photos that I am going to split them up in to several postings.

Here is the sidewalk of a florist right by the entrance of Pere Lachaise. You can see the crowds of people in the background entering the cemetery. The cemetery was packed with visitors, and also large groups of tour groups.

The cemetery had done some beautiful landscaping. This one was inside the crematorium courtyard.

My eye was caught by these red geraniums as most of the flowers left by tombs were yellow chrysanthiums.

A dapper gentleman in full evening dress who has become a sort of fertility help, visited by women wanting babies. He was gunned down in front of a playhouse by a jealous husband.

I like this sculpture on the tomb of Gile, the original owner of the famous cabaret on Montmartre called Lapin Agile.

I always spot something new each time I visit. Not surprising as the cemetery is so large. This was new to me, a head reposing on a pillow, asleep forever.

Nel says:

November 5, 2006 at 3:13 am

my husband is a stone mason and works near one of the largest cemetaries, Rookwood in Sydney. It was the place of our first home when we married. We lived in an old house and had to lock the gates of the cemetary at sunset and we were locked in as such…very strange lol. I have a favourite place there, it is an area that is surrounded by beautiful old rose gardens and frangipani trees, it’s like a beautiful old paradise, a place of rest for those gone before…Nel

Britt-Arnhild says:

November 5, 2006 at 12:59 pm

Not long again we discussed this cemetery in my yahoo group Armchairtravelling. Partly because I read Colette.
Thanks for the photos.

Lilly says:

November 5, 2006 at 4:45 pm

I remember the ‘dapper gentleman…’ My favorite tomb at the cemetary was falling apart when I was there about 10 years ago. I’ve hoped that someone had saved it from further deterioration. I know it’s a very big place but I wonder if you just happened to see the tomb I mean. I’ll post a photo over at my site…. It wasn’t very far from one of the entrances and if I look at a map I might be able to guess where in the cemetary it was.