Le Cimetière du Père Lachaise

The Père Lachaise Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Paris and one of the most famous in the world. Located in the 20th arrondissement of the city, now it stretches over an area of 44 hectares.

Originally, the land was purchased by the Jesuits in the seventeenth century. They wanted to make it a place of convalescence. Thereafter, the brother of Father La Chaise field develops and sells the power to pay its debt. Shortly after, the gardens are redeemed by the prefect of the Seine (eighteenth century). In the following century, and under the command of Consul Napoleon Bonaparte, several cemeteries are created (Montmartre and Montparnasse). In 1803, under the impetus of the Prefect of Paris, the architect Brongniart transforms the area into a cemetery. Official opening takes place May 21, 1804.

At present, many people buried in this cemetery: Guillaume Apollinaire, Balzac, Colette, Jean-François Champollion, Jean de La Fontaine, Molière, Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, Jim Morrison, Alfred de Musset, Edith Piaf Oscar Wilde ...

Every year, it hosts 2 million visitors.