Phantom Spirits Still Plague The Paris Catacombs

Those brave enough to wander here, have reported strange experiences. People have become lost and died down here out of curiosity. The gloomy mines of Paris, are believed to be damned by many and now it is illegal to even wander down below unauthorized. Things quickly turned for the worse by the 18th century, when Paris actually smelled due to the decay happening in the city.

Overwhelmed with an overflow of death, bodies began to decay within the streets beyond designated graveyard areas. Officials decided to create a catacomb of graves to store the deceased in. Without this, the public’s health was at risk. It would be an incredible undertaking with lots of engineering feats to accomplish.

Eventually, it was constructed and the dead were buried below the upper surface streets of the city. One of the most troubling areas in the city was around the main food market of Les Halles. It was unsafe to even eat the food from here, due to any kind of diseases that may be lingering behind.

Including the surrounding areas, there are an estimated 6 million people buried within Paris. Underground, around 2 million of these people were buried here. These catacombs have become a maze of amusement for some people. One group exploring this underground maze are known as ‘cataphiles’. These tomb hunters pride themselves on discovering anything out of the ordinary in places like this.

Over time, the catacombs have become a vast maze of twists and turns that spans across nearly 200 miles of terrain. The remains of the dead here, are buried about 100 feet below the street level surface of the city. There are numerous tales of people seeing phantoms down here and rightfully so. There are far too many people who died tragically in the world. Many of them have never found rest in the afterlife.

With its seclusion, there are stories of cults who have come down here to practice their dark arts. They believe that a higher power can be found down below. Likely, this is something more satanic by nature. The Paris Catacombs have become a tourist destination and at one point groups were lead down here for exploration.

The catacombs are a dangerous place to tread through and forbidden by officials. There have been documentaries made about this place and horror type movies like “As Above, So Below” (2014). Numerous thrill-seekers have come down to the catacombs, to never return again. Now, they have become a permanent part of this place. Who knows what else might be down there, it is best to stay away.