Overcrowding in medieval
cemeteries in the center of Paris at the end of the 18th century led the
government to the creation of subterranean mass graves. Over the course of 18
months, from 1785, the bones and rotting corpses of 6 million people were moved
in large carts across the city at night to a new resting place. Here they are
arranged in huge piles at the Empire of Death, as it is commonly known. This
network of about 200 miles of underground galleries contains millions of bones
and the small part that is open to the public is certain to shock.
The human bones - including countless skulls -
are arranged in many configurations such as crosses, faces, wall ornamentation,
or simply huge mounds. Not for those of a nervous disposition.
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