Episode 14: The Paris Catacombs

Apr 24

Off you go into the void, leaving your only exit on the path behind you…

They call it the city of love. Paris—with its world class cuisine and dancing lights—is truly one of the most romantic cities in the world.

Of course, we have all heard of the city’s most notable sites.m—the Louvre, Nôtre-Dame Cathedral, the iconic Eiffel Tower—just to name a few. But if you want my opinion, the most romantic spot in the city is a ways off the beaten path.

On the outskirts of Paris, in the commune of Versailles sits the temple of love. First erected in 1778 by Richard Mique, the neoclassical monument—complete with a marble statue of Cupid at its heart—is truly an ode to Paris’s romantic atmosphere.

In fact, the site is a popular destination for countless couples vowing to take that next step with their one true love. But the love story that inspired the temple itself speaks to a much different bond.

So the legend goes, the temple of love was built upon the request of Marie-Antoinette who at the time was pregnant with her first child.

Now if you know anything about the last queen of France, you would know that she was under a great deal pressure to produce a male heir. Not to mention that she and her husband King Louis XVI struggled for years to even conceive a child. So when it finally happened at long last, Marie was rightfully worried about carrying her baby to term.

So she took the matter into her own hands—commissioning the marble structure to be built in honor of her unborn child.

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Marie Antoinette went on to have four children of her own—with the shrine acting as a sort of love letter to each them.

It’s stories like these that have given the City of Love its name. But even still, Paris isn’t just sonnets and shimmering lights. Because, just below the city’s bustling streets lies an underworld that tells a much more haunting story.

I’m Courtney Hayes and you’re listening to haunts. Stay tuned…

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Over 45 million years ago, the grounds that would one day become Paris, France were drowned in a tropical sea. But as the centuries past, the sediment on the ocean floor formed into deposits of limestone that settled along the banks of what is now the Seine River.

It was the Romans who mined this limestone—using the material to lay the foundations of Paris, France. And in its place they left a rock quarry that spread beneath the streets they were building.

By the time that the city was complete, those quarries had long been abandoned. With the 187 miles of underground tunnels acting a sort of wasteland, that stretched out below the ever growing metropolis. Well that is until the 18th century, when a public health crisis was sweeping through the streets of Paris.

You see, during the medieval era, mass gravesites were fairly common throughout Europe. This of course was due to disease, war, and the general plight of living during such an unforgiving time in our history.

In short, the death rate was high, and to keep up with the grim demand public cemeteries were often little more than mass graves. And in case you were wondering, one of these grave sites sat in the heart of Paris, France.

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Now this work-flow, for lack of better wording, served its purpose for a time. But towards the end of the 18th century, the Parisian Saint-Innocents Cemetery began to run out of room.

For obvious reason, this lack of space quickly became a real problem for citizens of Paris. Without a designated space to lay their dead to rest, they soon began disposing corpses in less than ideal locations—creating incredibly unsanitary conditions in the process.

So there was a decision to be made. As grim as it was to think, it was quite obvious that the problem wouldn’t resolve itself. So Paris would need a newly designated gravesite and fast. The only question was where would the put it?

Well as I’m sure you already guessed the answer to their problem was already set in stone, just below their feet.

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The remains of over six million people are buried in the vast tunnel system known as the Paris Catacombs.

I know, when you break it down into sheer numbers the weight of that fact can be quite overwhelming. Especially when you consider that this cemetery if you will is known to be the largest mass gravesite in the world.

Now there is a theory in paranormal research that claims cemeteries, gravesites, and other such burial grounds are some of the least haunted places that you could come across. Which makes sense when you think about it.

Generally speaking, a cemetery is where bodies are laid to rest. And at least in theory, spirits are thought to dwell in spaces that were significant to them during their lives. So it stands to reason that a spirit wouldn’t waste their time haunting their final resting place.

But rules do have their exceptions. And while we’re on the topic, there is another theory that directly contradicts this one.

Simply put, it’s often said that disturbing someone’s grave—say for example exhuming a body to relocate it somewhere else—is a sure fire way to wake the dead. Now imagine that same sort of energy times 6 million and that listeners is what you might find inside the Paris catacombs.

In fact, the catacombs are said to harbor hoards of activity that can only be described as paranormal in nature. Although, there are some who reject that point of view.

So if you will, let’s set aside our preconceived notions, and continue with an open minded analysis of the supposed activity. Then as always, I will let you decide where their truth really lies.

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Allow me, if you will, to set this unsettling scene. Imagine that you are climbing downward into a quickly expanding darkness. The air around you starts to feel frigid on your skin as the sunlight from above has all but disappeared from view.

A shiver runs up your spine but you continue your descent, until finally your feet once again reach solid ground. There, stretching out in either direction, a vast—albeit decaying—tunnel system opens up around you.

You are now surrounded in darkness. So you pull out your flashlight, switch it one, and begin to walk down the corridor. And that’s when you hear it. Only at first, you couldn’t tell what it was.

The sound is nearly indiscernible—in fact, it’s little more than a slight hiss that you have to strain to hear. But even so, the sound is relentless and only gets louder as you continue into the abyss.

You only make it a few hundred yards before it becomes clear that this sound you have been hearing isn’t hissing but rather whispering. Only you are entirely alone, 20 meters below the city of Paris.

By now, the sound is unbearably overwhelming—getting louder, and louder, and louder until… you run. (Slight pause) Off you go into the void, leaving your only exit on the path behind you.

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I know, the scene I just described sounds like the beginning of an incredibly claustrophobic horror flick. But it’s only fiction right? Well, I hate to say, that isn’t entirely the case.

You see back in the early 1990s, an old-school camcorder was discovered on the ground in a quartered off area of the catacombs. Now as a quick aside, you can obviously tour the Paris catacombs to some degree. However, the vast majority of this tunnel system is closed to the public. Although, there are some independent explorers who bend these rules a bit.

More on that at the end of the episode. But for now, it’s worth mentioning that whoever left this camera behind, wasn’t supposed to be there. And if that wasn’t eerie enough, you should know, there was still some footage saved on the camera.

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The video itself depicts a lone man who by the looks of it was utterly lost—unable to find his way out of the winding corridors. And unsurprisingly, well let’s just say that the man in this video wasn’t exactly in his right mind.

Then the video ends as quickly as it started. The man simply drops the camera and the last thing the viewer sees is the man wandering further into the darkness.

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Okay, so you’re probably wondering: what on earth could possess anyone to venture into the Paris Catacombs alone? And as nightmare inducing as it is, what does this story have to do with ghosts?

Well, the answer to both of those questions may come down to one claim that’s commonly made about the Catacombs. According to legend, at least, those foolhardy enough to venture into the closed areas of the Paris catacombs alone are liable to hear the voices of the dead.

So they say, the walls of the winding corridors will begin to speak in the wee hours of the morning, as if they were beckoning to those of us here in the world of the living. Apparently these disembodied musings are that of the 6 million buried in those very walls. Oh and if the rumors are true, the phenomenon serves a rather sinister purpose.

You see, those who’ve had this startling experience claim that the voices were clearly attempting to lure them further into the catacombs. Some even go as far as saying that the whispering nearly drove them mad.

So could it be that the unfortunate traveler from our last segment met a similar fate? Well, maybe so. But before we move on from this topic, I should make you aware of the skeptics’ side of the argument.

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For obvious reasons, the footage itself was a topic of interest in the media. In fact, it was featured in a ABC Family special that aired shortly after its discovery.

It later went on to inspire blockbuster horror films such as the wildly popular movie As Above, So Below. And yes, in case you were curious, this fact has lead many the believe that the video was a hoax which was made in an effort to gain media attention.

As always, I will let you form your own opinions there but I would be remiss if I didn’t at least share the footage with you all. So if you are interested in watching it, I will video linked in this week’s show notes at hauntscast.com

But I will warn you, hoax or not the footage itself is bleak. So proceed at your own risk and let me know what you think.

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By now, it should be apparent that the Paris Catacombs are chock-full of ghostly legends. But there aren’t any quite like the story of Philibert Apsairt.

It was during the French Revolution when Philibert worked as a doorman at Val-de-Grâce hospital. Now on one particular afternoon, Philibert was running a rather pressing errand—hunting for a specific elixir down in the hospital’s basement. Only he never returned to his post.

Apparently, at some point, Philibert found his way down into the catacombs by mistake. Evidently, the basement had a passage into the crypt that the doorman had unknowingly entered. So he continued to wander the halls in search of this elixir and ultimately became lost in the labyrinth.

Now keep in mind, it was the 1790’s. So poor Philibert only had single candle to light his way through the void. Eventually, this candle went out—leaving Philibert Apsairt alone in the darkness.

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It was 11 years later when Philibert’s body was finally discovered by another group of independent explorers. Now I’m not entirely how they were able to discern Philibert’s body from the other skeletal remains that were likely close by. But in the end, they were able to identify Philibert by a hospital key that was hanging from his belt.

The group eventually made their way back up to the surface, immediately reporting their grim discovery. And from there, it wasn’t long before arrangements were made to give Philibert Apsairt a proper.

Today, Philibert is laid to rest in a stone coffin that sits at the exact spot where he took his final breath. And situated a top his grave is a single headstone that regales these haunting events. But even in spite of the monument, it doesn’t seem like Philibert found peace in his after life.

So the legend goes, each year on November 3rd—the anniversary of Philibert’s death—his spirit will awake and begin to wander aimlessly through the maze. So it would seem even in death, Philibert Apsairt is still searching for passage back to the world of the living.

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Before we end today’s episode, I feel the need to insert a quick but important disclaimer.

As I mentioned earlier, there are sections of the Paris Catacombs that are designated for tourism and are open to the public. However, the vast majority of this crypt is strictly off-limits.

Now, not only is it illegal to trespass into these areas, it’s also incredibly dangerous. So if you had intentions of exploring the Paris catacombs independently, I urge you to reconsider. This episode is not an invitation or endorsement to enter the catacombs outside of the proper channels. It’s simply too much a risk.

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Now with that out of the way, I should mention that the Paris Catacombs are a popular destination for urban explorers. And as I have mentioned throughout this episode, these cataphiles as they are called, have made some pretty chilling discoveries during their explorations.

But is it possible that these explorers are behind some of the strange occurrences that the Paris Catacombs are known for? Well, let’s take that idea into consideration as we move on to our final story.

Back in 2004, a small group of police officers were patrolling a restricted area of the catacombs when they came across a strange scene. At first, they simply heard the sound of dogs barking off in the distance.

Now it goes without saying that the officers were rightfully concerned so they followed the sound further down the corridor. As they got closer, the tunnel opened up around them, eventually exposing a much larger cavern. And that’s when things get weird.

At this point, it became apparent that the sound they had been hearing wasn’t organic—in fact, there wasn’t a dog in sight. Instead, the noise was coming from a PA system that was playing the recording on a loop.

Upon further investigation, the officers found the following: a functioning landline phone, a full bar, a living area and lounge, along with a 20 seat movie theater. All functioning off of pirated electricity.

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They returned only a few days later, with intentions of conducting a full fledged investigation. Only to their surprise the entire scene had vanished. Well that is except for one piece of evidence. A single slip of parchment, with two words written ominously in ink. “Don’t search” it warned.

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Credits

This episode of Haunts was written and produced by me, Courtney Hayes. If you’ve been enjoying the show so far, I would greatly appreciate it, if you could leave us a review. A lot of work it goes into each episode and supporting the show in this way, really helps us reach more listeners each week. It’s entirely free and takes about 30 seconds and it would genuinely mean the world to me.

Also, if you’re interested in learning more about today’s topic, I greatly encourage you to check out the show notes section on our website at hauntscast.com. This is the location where I share my sources and provide any visual aid that may have been reference during the show.

Finally, I would love to connect with you online. You can find me on Instagram @hauntscast or you can join our email list for updates about the show.

Thank you again for listening and until next time happy hunting.

Sources

https://theghostinmymachine.com/2018/04/23/unresolved-the-missing-man-in-the-paris-catacombs-france-found-footage-video-1993/

https://thetourguy.com/travel-blog/france/paris/catacombs/most-bone-chilling-paris-catacombs-legends-and-stories/

https://www.gpsmycity.com/attractions/temple-of-love-37268.html

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Antoinette

https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/how-many-children-marie-antoinette-what-happened-french-queens-children-died-2064355

https://catacombs.tickets-paris.fr/paris-catacombs-history/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/52695/spending-time-among-bones-pariss-catacombs

https://brewminate.com/holy-innocents-cemetery-mass-grave-in-medieval-paris-before-the-catacombs/

https://www.cnn.com/2012/08/02/world/europe/wus-france-catacombs/index.html