The past two days we have been on some interesting adventures that I’m not sure other tours of Paris would take you. On Wednesday, we went to the Pere-Lachaise cemetery. The few times I have been to other cemeteries I have always felt a little uneasy, whether that be because I was there for a funeral, or just the thought that there were a bunch of dead people around me. When we went to Pere-Lachaise, I actually enjoyed the space. It felt purposeful and not just like a plot of land to put dead bodies on. I appreciated the trees to add shade, and the uniqueness of each family’s plot. It felt like a representation of who they were and less conformic than in the US. I think this style is more personal, and less just of a person who died and their name, it kind of shows more about their families and the life they lived. We also saw the same idea of different styles of plots on Thursday when we went to the Montparnasse cemetery.
When I was here earlier with my family, we went to the American Cemetery in Normandy, in remembrance of those who fought at D-Day. The cemetery here was much different from the Pere-Lachaise. It was a typical US cemetery, the lines upon lines of the same type of marker, either a cross (whether they were Catholics or not) or the Star of David for those who were Jewish. Each one was engraved in the same font and style with the name of the person and dates on it. It was very much so a space that would conform and not have very much uniqueness. I can understand how this way of forming a cemetery would be useful for the time, considering the amount of people who died during D-Day and the need to put them somewhere, but it feels more like a place to remember all of the people at the same time rather than the individuals themselves.
On Thursday we went to the Catacombs. Many people know what this is and go to visit. At first, I was a little spooked over the idea that there were just a bunch of bones and people’s skulls that I was gonna see. It felt similar to the way that the American cemeteries feel, just like a bunch of dead people in the same spot all looking somewhat the same (I mean they’re skulls and bones so how different can they look). It was definitely a different experience from the Pere-Lachaise and Montparnasse cemeteries.
I think overall I like the more purposeful French cemeteries, where each person or family has their own style and way of remembering them, and I less enjoy the conformity of everyone having the same style and font because it seems less purposeful.
Au Revoir from Ellie in Paris
I agree with feeling a little unsettled in cemeteries. Death and mortality are kind of a heavy topic for a Tuesday morning class, but I am so glad we all got to share this experience together. It was interesting to see how different cultures respect and remember their deceased loved ones and how it can all be done in the same place. In addition to the individualized grave markers here in pairs, I really appreciated the fact that the cemeteries are not really segregated at all. To quote a sticker I saw in the Catacombs gift shop, “Rember man, that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” Kind of dark, but also a meaningful quote that sums up my feelings on our recent cemetery visits.