Behind their gates and long, shady paths lie real treasures—sometimes funny, often moving and always fascinating. In Paris, some graves are hard to miss! Unusual sculptures,extravagant funerary monuments, humorous epitaphs and mysterious graves turn these places of remembrance into veritable open-air cabinets of curiosities. A chance to discover Paris from a most unexpected angle!
While Paris’s cemeteries are the final resting places of many famous figures, they also house an exceptional artistic and architectural heritage. As early as the 19th century, some wealthy families competed to find ever more imaginative ways to honor their dead. Architects and sculptors were commissioned to create increasingly spectacular monuments inspired by antiquity, the Middle Ages and the major artistic movements of their time.
But the most remarkable tombs aren’t necessarily the most imposing! Sometimes, a simple detail, an unexpected inscription or a particularly original sculpture is enough to turn a burial site into a true curiosity.
Beyond their appearance, some graves conceal stories that would almost be worthy of a novel! Behind these monuments lie extraordinary lives, love stories, eccentric personalities and sometimes even mysterious legends. Other graves surprise visitors with the tributes they leave, as they keep strange traditions alive or leave behind some rather unexpected objects.
From the famous Père-Lachaise Cemetery to the paths of Montparnasse, via the cemeteries of Montmartre, Passy and Saint-Vincent, Paris is full of fascinating funerary curiosities just waiting to be discovered. Ready to explore Paris’s cemeteries in a different way? Here’s our selection of Paris’s most unusual graves, to discover on a stroll that’s as surprising as it is informative!
At Montparnasse Cemetery, this poet asked for a lifebuoy for eternity… just in case!
At Montparnasse Cemetery, a lifebuoy intrigues visitors. On the poet Robert Desnos’s grave, it conceals a surprising story! [Read more]
In Paris, this tomb depicts a couple in bed… and hides a surprising story!
A couple tucked under the covers, a notebook and a revolutionary invention: this Parisian tomb is unlike any other! [Read more]
“Die? I’d rather croak”: at Montmartre Cemetery, this grave gives heaven the finger.
A provocative cactus, a hilarious epitaph and a deceased man who had thought of everything: this remarkable grave in Montmartre Cemetery is full of humor! [Read more]
In Paris, this unusual tomb takes the form of a little house... with its occupants at the window
At Montmartre’s Saint-Vincent Cemetery, an unusual tomb shaped like a house is home to a couple who seem to watch passersby from their window! [Read more]
A cursed tomb in Père Lachaise? Discover the legend of this immense mausoleum.
Among the tombs of the Père Lachaise Cemetery, an imposing mausoleum is the source of one of the darkest urban legends of this immense necropolis. Discover the myth behind the tomb of Elisabeth Alexandrovna Strogonoff-Dominoff, reputed to be cursed. [Read more]
Do you know the secret of this mysterious tomb in Père Lachaise?
In the 29th division of the Père Lachaise cemetery, an unusual tomb surprises walkers who come to explore this necropolis in the heart of Paris: a mountain of stone topped by a strange antenna. We tell you the secret of this original burial site. [Read more]
In Paris, this tomb depicts a dead man emerging from the stone to offer a rose!
A man who seems to have returned from the dead, a rose held aloft… This remarkable tomb at Père-Lachaise conceals a very poetic story. [Read more]
Have you ever noticed this tomb adorned with bat-winged skulls in Paris?
At Père-Lachaise, a strange tomb adorned with winged skulls intrigues visitors. Behind this macabre monument lies a remarkable master of illusions! [Read more]
What is this pyramid doing in the middle of Père Lachaise Cemetery? The astonishing secret of the Delage tomb!
At Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, a strange pyramid topped by a pelican intrigues visitors. Discover the little-known story behind this remarkable family tomb! [Read more]
At Père-Lachaise, this ghost has watched over her husband’s grave for more than 150 years!
At Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, a mysterious ghost seems to keep watch over François-Vincent Raspail’s grave. Behind this apparition lies a moving love story! [Read more]
At Père-Lachaise, Géricault’s tomb immortalizes his famous Raft of the Medusa!
At Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, the tomb of painter Théodore Géricault conceals a remarkable reproduction of The Raft of the Medusa. A grave like no other! [Read more]
Oscar Wilde’s tomb at Père-Lachaise: once covered in kisses, it hides a remarkable story!
At Père-Lachaise, Oscar Wilde’s tomb was once covered in lipstick kisses. But behind this romantic ritual lies a story full of scandal! [Read more]
This dolmen-shaped tomb is the most flowered in the Père Lachaise cemetery: here is its legend
It's one of the most unusual tombs in the Père Lachaise cemetery, and also the one with the most flowers! Discover the story behind the final resting place of Allan Kardec, the founder of spiritualism. [Read more]
Heloise & Abelard, Père Lachaise's oldest residents: the story of Paris's Romeo & Juliet
Do you know the legend of Heloise and Abelard? This mythical couple from medieval Paris has left its mark on people throughout the centuries. Nicknamed the "star-crossed lovers", their story continues to fascinate Parisian enthusiasts, who pay their respects at Père Lachaise, where they are the oldest residents. [Read more]
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