Let's start our visit with a little history. The Montmartre Cemetery was not always called that. It was first known as Cimetière de la Barrière Blanche, Cimetière sous Montmartre, Champs du Repos (we like this one!), and finally Cimetière de Montmartre, as we know it today.
With an area of 11 hectares, it is the third largest cemetery in Paris, after the Père-Lachaise cemetery and the Montparnasse cemetery. The Montmartre Cemetery is built on the site of the famous quarries of Montmartre, from which was extracted, since the Gallo-Roman era, the gypsum used to make the plaster of Paris, reputed to be very white and very fine, and which was used to build many monuments.
The Montmartre Cemetery is amazing because the Caulaincourt Bridge, entirely made of metal, spans it to the South-East, since 1888. It is thus possible to contemplate the cemetery from above! Today, the Montmartre Cemetery has 20,000 graves, and it is still possible to be buried there today.
Alongside unknowns, many personalities have their graves there: Michel Berger and France Gall, Jean-Claude Brialy, Daniel Darc, Alexandre Dumas fils, Georges Feydeau, Michel Galabru, Théophile Gautier, the Goncourt brothers, La Goulue, Sacha Guitry, Bernard-Marie Koltès, Jeanne Moreau, Stendhal, François Truffaut and Emile Zola.
But the most important tomb in the Montmartre Cemetery is undoubtedly that of Dalida. With its large and beautiful sculpture surrounded by golden rays, it continues to be flowered every day by fans from around the world.
Free and refreshing, this walk is a must in the 18th arrondissement.
Location
Montmartre Cemetery
20, avenue Rachel
75018 Paris 18
Prices
Free
Official website
www.paris.fr
