Detailed map of the 12th arrondissement of Paris.
And By The Way...; The Picpus Cemetery
Paris Kiosque - April 1996 - Volume 3, Number 4
Copyright (c) April 1996 Jacqueline Donnelly - used with permission
I am sure that you are no ordinary tourist who could be content with only visiting the
major monuments armed with a camera, a guidebook, metro tickets and sensible shoes.
No, you are looking for the invisible Paris that so few know....even the Parisians who live
and work there rarely really look at this fabulous city.
Not only that, but in comparing your memories with your friends, wouldn't you like to top
anything that they have seen?
Voila, just what you are looking for! The Picpus cemetery buried deep in the twelfth
district (XII arrondissement).
In visiting this cemetery you will be able to answer the question: "What do many of the
slaughtered victims of the guillotine have in common with the Marquis de La Fayette,
hero of the American revolution who personally bailed us out at Valley Forge by pledging
his own fortune to our cause?
The answer is simple, they are all buried at the cemetery,
Sound boring? It is not!
Here is a rapid flashback to the times so that you can better appreciate the cemetery .
The history is a bit gory so if you are faint of heart, please stop reading this now.
After the fall of the
Bastille on the 14th of July, 1789, the national holiday of the French
by the way, the monarchy was in danger, the king and queen retained, imprisoned, and
then decapitated within a three year period.
Robespierre, a dapper but deadly leader of the reign of terror, oversaw the slaughter of
aristocrats, political opponents, and soon in a frenzy, the innocent tradespeople, clergy, or
anyone associated in the past with aristocrats.
The guillotine was first placed across from the
Louvre where the first 35 victims met
their fate, then moved to a more central and visible location at la
Place de la Concorde.
for the slaughter of the king and other big wigs.
However, because Robespierre was planning a big parade for his feast of the Supreme
Being which was going to pass in front of this most unsightly object, it was moved to the
to la Place de la Bastille.
The smell of blood was most unpleasant in the summer heat and bad for the cafe
business, so the local residents insisted that the guillotine be moved more out of town
near the Place de la Nation today.
Ah, but what to do with the bodies (and their heads) which were accumulating? There was
a peaceful convent nearby with a large garden. It had been confiscated in the name of
the Republic and converted into a "House of Health and Detention". Here the wealthy
aristocrats were declared ill and kept hidden there as long as their fortunes could pay the
large 'health insurance". When the last sou was spent, the patient was suddenly cured
and sent to the guillotine.
One day the director saw a crack in the garden wall where ditch diggers were fast at
work preparing two open pits for mass graves. Each day's slaughtered victims were
transported to the garden in wagons, stripped of their clothing which became the spoils of
drivers, and thrown into the shallow graves. These graves were never covered so the
stench and the threat of infection were ever present.
The poor director's wife was so appalled that she had to be hospitalized on the other side
of Paris. Poor thing...
After the death of Robespierre, ironically by the guillotine, the Reign of Terror ended and
the graves were closed.
Behind the altar in the chapel nearby are tiles upon which the name, profession, age, and
date of execution of each of the victims are listed . This really personalizes for the visitor
the people who are buried at the cemetery.
Where is La Fayette in this story, you might ask? His wife, who was very wealthy, lost
many family members to the blade and they were among the victims buried at Picpus
cemetery. Wanting to be buried near her family so she bought a plot of land in the
cemetery and eventually, the couple was buried there.
Since 1830, because of his strong ties to the United States, there has been an American
flag displayed over his grave.
Americans, on the Fouth of July, are invited to participate in a memorial ceremony at his
grave. Traditionally, the US ambassador as well as American VIP's are in attendance.
In addition, whenever an American tours the cemetery, the guide will remove his beret
and lower the flag for a moment of silence in his honor since he or she has travelled so
far to visit La Fayette's grave.
The conservator of the cemetery, himself, is a historian, who has written a book called
The Victims of Picpus 1794-1994
from which I have richly borrowed. I recently conversed with
him and he joins with me in welcoming you to visit this island of peace in the middle of
residential Paris.
If you go:
The conservator of the cemetery, himself, is a historian, who has written a book called
The Victims of Picpus 1794-1994 from which I have richly borrowed, and with whom I
recently conversed. He joins with me in welcoming you to visit this island of peace in the
middle of residential Paris :
M. Jean-Jacques Faugeron - Conservator Cimetière de Picpus
Where: 35, rue de Picpus; 75012 Paris
Métro: Picpus, Bel-Air.
Tel: 43 44 18 54
Hours:
Winter: open Tuesday - Saturday 2:00-4:00pm; guided tour in French 2:30pm
Summer (April 15-October 15) 2:00-6:00pm; guided tour in French 2:30 and 4:30pm.
Closed Mondays and the month of August.
Jackie Donnelly, earned her B.A. in French from Connecticut College and her
Master's Degree in French language and literature from Boston University.
Ms. Donnelly has taught French at the high school and university level for over 25 years.
and is an 18 time visitor to France, and describes herself as 100% American
but sentimentally 100% French.
Currently she is serving as chair of a committee on the National Task Force of the
American Association of Teachers of French.
She can be contacted via this link.
