Montmartre Cemetery, Paris
A pathway amongst the tombs in Montemarte Cemetery
Montmartre; a Cemetery Upon a Cemetery
Lying beneath the old metal Caulaincourt Bridge in the Montmartre area of Paris is the city's third largest cemetery, also known as the artist’s cemetery, or the Cimitière du Nord. Montmartre is one of the three large garden cemeteries built in the early 1800s to house the dead of Paris that no longer fit within the overflowing churchyards in the centre of the city. The cemetery lies just steps away from the Sacré-Cœur basilica, the Moulin Rouge, and the cafes and narrow cobbled streets of this popular spot in Paris’s northern 18th arrondissement. Its shady, tree-laden avenues hold over 20,000 burial plots and are lined by thousands of mausoleums, sculptures, and gravestones, making a peaceful escape from the busy streets above.
And like its larger counterpart Père Lachaise to the east, many a famous person resides within the cemetery, which was particularly popular with the artists who lived and worked within the vibrant art scene of the Montmartre area.
The history of this site however goes beyond the cemetery that can be seen today. First opening in 1825, Montmartre was initially named ‘le Cimetière des Grandes Carrières’ (Cemetery of the Large Quarries) as it was built on the site of an old gypsum quarry, which still lies below. And within the quarry, under the graves of the cemetery, lie the remains of the thousands of Parisians who were executed and thrown into mass, unmarked graves during France’s Reign of Terror of 1793, when the new government executed anyone deemed to be an enemy of the revolution.
While Montmartre is undoubtedly a beautiful cemetery, it also has a decidedly darker feel to it compared to Paris’s other necropolises. Maybe because it's a bit quieter, or maybe because of all the cats that watch the passersby from the tops of graves, or maybe it’s due to its dark past. Whatever the reason, It is worth a visit when in this part of Paris, just don’t go alone!
An English engraving, 1798
The Sanson Family; A Family of Executioners
In 18th-century France, the family business was often passed from father to son, the skills of their trade were handed down from one generation to the next, and this was no different for the Sanson family, a multi-generational family of executioners. For six generations, the Sanson dynasty endured, starting with Charles Sanson, who was appointed to the role in 1688 while serving in the Royal Army of France and ending 159 years later with Henry Clement, the sixth and last executioner of the Sanson family.
The most famous member of the Sanson clan was Charles-Henri Sanson, a fourth-generation executioner. Initially reluctant to take on the role, he was persuaded by his grandfather to abandon a promising career in medicine for one with quite the opposite effect, and so took on the family business of relieving others of their heads. Charles-Henri was not only the Royal Executioner of France during the reign of King Louis XVI, but he was also appointed as the high executioner for the First French Republic following the revolution. He was famous for being the first executioner to use the guillotine and also for using this guillotine to behead his King, Louis XVI. It was Sanson’s son Henri however who had the honour of beheading Marie Antoinette following her husband's public execution. Charles-Henri must have been quite good at his job, as he kept it for over 40 years, personally executed over 3,000 people until handing the reins over to his son.
Before the guillotine, the breaking wheel was a common form of torture and execution where the doomed were tied to the wheel and battered to death, slowly, and painfully. The Sansons and their guillotine transformed the execution process, making it more swift and precise—a more civilized form of death for the upper classes, many of whom needed to be disposed of quickly in the chaotic years following the revolution. And so with the start of the Reign of Terror in 1793, heads began to roll. In the year that followed, France saw mass executions throughout the country of anyone with even an inkling of counter-revolutionary thoughts or activities. Thousands were arrested and many more were beheaded. Their bodies thrown into mass graves, one of which lies under the very cemetery where the Sanson family are laid to rest. It makes one wonder if they knew this before buying the family plot above thousands who died at their very hands.
An Egyptian inspired tomb, Montmartre Cemetery
Top Tips
The cemetery is free to enter, though the entrance can be a little tricky to find! Head to the Caulaincourt Bridge and follow the stairs down to the main gates on the street below.
There are washrooms located just inside the entrance.
Laminated maps are available to borrow, as well as QR codes for access to detailed maps on our phone marking notable graves of interest.
The map can also be viewed here: https://cdn.paris.fr/paris/2022/06/13/c385bca27b18486f4eb81a0bff1b7dcc.pdf.
Alternatively, the cemetery can also be visited as part of an organised tour of the Montmartre area, available on TripAdvisor and other similar sites.
Location: Cimetière de Montmartre, 20 avenue Rachel - 75018 Paris.
Hours: November to March; 8:00 am to 5:30 pm on weekdays, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm on Saturdays, and 9:00 am to 5:30 pm on Sundays and holidays. March to November; 8:00 am to 6:00 pm on weekdays, 8:30 am to 6:00 pm on Saturdays, and 9:00 am to 6:00 pm on Sundays and holidays.
Getting There: Metro Line 13 to La Fourche station.