In the same manner as the morgue, the cemetery too became a tool for governmental organization and ornamentation. In the 18th century, the cemetery was nothing but a source of concern for Parisians. The example of the largest Parisian cemetery, Les Innocents, was a frightful place – completely over saturated with bodies, and leading to the contamination and the spread of disease caused by open graves in the city center. As the implementation of decrees failed to contain this space, and problems continued to proliferate, unilateral action was finally taken. It was primarily this concern that led to the creation of the Parisian Catacombs, south of the city at Denfert-Rochreau, and a push for elimination of churchyard cemeteries in the city-center [1].
A new breed of suburban cemeteries soon emerged, edified by an 1804 Napoleonic decree (the Decret du 23 prarial an XII) which placed cemeteries outside city limits [2]. Among these were the cemeteries of Montparnasse, Montmartre, and Pere Lachaise. These cemeteries, were a completely different breed of animal. Designed, plotted, and far enough removed from the city centers to allow for expansion — these cemeteries were “distinct spaces” and modeled in a manner reflective of the rambling and picturesque parks of the 19th century. This element of openneness and serenity, created yet another form through which admnistrative oversight would impact the perception of the city by its citizens.
These cemetaries, like parks created a new visual culture that embraced picturesque and monumental forms. Though initially, the public was hesitant to use these new cemeteries, the burial there of “several Napoleonic heroes” as well as the transfer of the tombs of Abelard & Heloise, Moliere, and La Fontaine turned the location into a “fashionable” venue for strolling and also spectatorship [3].
April 23, 2009, 2:47pm
