The Père-Lachaise cemetery, also called “cemetery of the East”, is the largest cemetery in Paris and covers 43 hectares, here are 5 memorable graves to see in Père Lachaise cemetery. It is located in the 20th arrondissement on the Boulevard de Ménilmontant. This cemetery opened in 1804, just over two centuries ago.
A stroll among the tombs is an unusual and highly rewarding lesson in French and international cultural history.
As the well-known resting location of many artists, writers, battle veterans and scientists, Père Lachaise cemetery attracts more than 3.5 million visitors every year.
The 5 memorable graves to see and you should not miss are:
Frédéric Chopin
Edith Piaf
Oscar Wilde
Jim Morrison
Monument aux Morts
Frédéric Chopin
(1810-1849)
Frédéric François Chopin was a composer best known for his preludes, scherzos, Polish folk melodies and ballads, which combine fervor and melancholy, considered one of the most important in history and one of the greatest representatives of Romanticism in music.
Chopin’s grave does indeed contain his body and is one of the most memorable graves to see in Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, but his heart is buried in Poland. The composer, who was afraid of being buried alive, had asked for his heart to be removed after he died. When he died at the early age of thirty-nine his famous deathbed wish was that his heart should be cut out from his body and sent to Poland.
Édith Piaf
(1915- 1963)
Édith Giovanna Gassion, better known by her artistic name Édith Piaf, was one of the most famous French singers of the 20th century. Edith Piaf is regarded as France’s greatest popular singer and now her tomb is also one of the memorable graves to see in Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris
By the time cancer claimed her life at the age of 47, Piaf had recorded several songs such as “La Vie en Rose”, “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien”, among others.
Oscar Wilde
(1854-1900)
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer, poet and playwright. Some of his most popular titles are “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, “Ravenna”, “The Women of Homer”, among others.
On November 30, 1900, the writer died of cerebral meningitis in Paris. Sometimes called the "most French of English-speaking writers", he will then be buried in the French capital.
Even today, Oscar Wilde's grave is one of the most venerated and one of the most memorable graves to see in Père Lachaise cemetery. It is covered with lipstick kisses that show the love and admiration his fans feel for this literary genius. A glass barrier was erected in 2011 to make the monument ‘kiss-proof’ to save it from further damage, but the fine sphinx design remains very much visible.
Jim Morrison
(1943- 1971)
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American singer and poet, famous for being the lead singer of the legendary rock band The Doors. Due to his songs, personality and performances, he is considered as one of the most representative and influential singers in the history of rock.
Jim Morrison, who died in Paris at only 27, is buried in Père-Lachaise, where his tomb is probably the most visited.
Monument aux Morts
Designed by Paul-Albert Bartholomé in the 19th century, Monument aux Morts is a memorial to unidentified deceased Parisians. This enormous temple-like monument can be seen as a shelter for the unknown dead who do not have graves of their own. Behind the stunning monument lies a communal ossuary, which keeps the remains of these people intact.
On the bottom part is a female figure protecting a couple and their child, all of whom are in repose. The French legend under her left arm means, “For those who live in the shadow of darkness, the light shines.”
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