Classic monument, Père Lachaise cemetery
Covering more than 100 acres, Père Lachaise Cemetery is the largest within the city limits of Paris, and indisputably the city’s most famous.
It takes its name from King Louis XIV’s confessor, Père François de la Chaise, who lived in a house on the site.
Père Lachaise cemetery
The cemetery was established by Napoleon in 1804 with the declaration that “Every citizen has the right to be buried regardless of race or religion”.
Notwithstanding Napoleon’s pronouncement, the cemetery was at first considered too far from the city to attract many burials.
Contemporary tombstone, Père Lachaise cemetery
Not until the remains of poet Jean de La Fontaine, Molière, and those of fabled lovers Abélard and Héloïse were transferred to the cemetery did the population begin clamoring for burial among the famous.
Among the notables who have since been interred there are French novelists Honore de Balzac and Marcel Proust, and American authors Richard Wright and Gertrude Stein. (The name of Stein’s partner Alice B. Toklas is etched on the reverse side of Stein’s gravestone.)
Grave of Jim Morrison, Père Lachaise cemetery
Until Jim Morrison was buried in Père Lachaise in 1971, Oscar Wilde was arguably the cemetery’s reigning pop star.
Oscar Wilde’s grave, Père Lachaise cemetery
It was once the custom for Wilde’s admirers to kiss the monument while wearing red lipstick, but the damaging effects of the practice have required that the memorial be encased in glass.
Others musicians buried here include singers Édith Piaf and Maria Callas, composers Bizet, Chopin, and Rossini, and French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli.
Grave of Amedeo Modigliani, Père Lachaise cemetery
Père Lachaise painters include Eugène Delacroix, Max Ernst, Amedeo Modigliani, Camille Pissarro, and Georges Seurat.
Grave of Yves Montand and Simone Signoret
French mime Marcel Marceau‘s grave is here.
So are those of actors and actresses Sarah Bernhardt, Isadora Duncan, Yves Montand, and Simone Signoret. (Montand and Signoret are buried together.)
The Rothchilds also have a family vault here.
Père Lachaise has been expanded five times.
Pyramid vault, Père Lachaise cemetery
Including the ashes of those cremated and the remains in the ossuary, the number of those who have been interred here is estimated to run as high as 3 million.
The cemetery is still accepting new burials from among those who either die in Paris or who have previously lived there, but so few vacant plots remain that today there is a waiting list.
Plots are now typically leased for 10 to 30 years, and abandoned remains from unrenewed leases are removed to make space made for new graves. Those exhumed are boxed, tagged and moved to the cemetery’s ossuary.
Grave of Belgian poet Georges Rodenbach
Graveside monuments run from the mundane to the extravagant, and styles range from classic to contemporary. The best among these make of Père Lachaise a giant sculpture museum.
An eerie sculpture on the grave of Belgian poet Georges Rodenbach is positively unnerving.
Communards’ wall, Père Lachaise cemetery
In addition to the gravesites of notable individuals, there are some stirring monuments to victims of genocide and mass murder.
The Communards’ Wall marks the site where the last of the insurgents was executed in 1871 during the “Bloody Week” in which the Paris Commune was crushed.
Holocaust memorial, Père Lachaise cemetery
Dachau memorial, Père Lachaise cemetery
Among the Holocaust memorials here are those dedicated to victims of Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, and Dachau.
Auschwitz memorial, Père Lachaise cemetery
Bergen-Belsen memorial, Père Lachaise cemetery
Père Lachaise cemetery is located on Boulevard de Ménilmontant, and served by the Metro: Philippe Auguste on Line 2 is near the main entrance), Père Lachaise, on Lines 2 and 3, is near a side entrance, and Line 3 Gambetta station on line 3, affords entry near the tomb of Oscar Wilde with downhill walk through the rest of the cemetery.
See my related posts on visits to these other historic cemeteries:
Read additional posts from my 10 Days In Paris here:
Antonio Ramblés travels 
One of my biggest regrets was not taking more pictures and taking more notes at Pere Lachaise. I spent a day there, and while, yes, I got some pretty shots, it was before I’d gone from casual cemetery liker to full-blown enthusiast. I may never get another chance, and I could just smack myself. I really enjoyed your entry here, though!