Montparnasse Cemetery – Moulin de la Charité
The Montparnasse Cemetery is located near the Montparnasse train station and tower. It is one of four cemeteries that were created in Paris in the 19th century to replace parish cemeteries that were then decommissioned. The Cimetière du Sud (Souh Cemetery) as it is officially called, was inaugurated on July 25, 1824.
At that time, this southern area lay outside the Mur des Fermiers Généraux (Wall of the Farmers-General), a tax wall built in the 1780s to collect taxes from merchants entering Paris. The area was then primarily rural and specialised in wheat cultivation. Most peasants worked in the numerous windmills that dotted the landscape, or in the surrounding limestone quarries.
Cabarets, inns, open-air cafes, and other places of entertainment sprang up near the gates of the Wall of the Farmers-General. The Porte Montparnasse (Gate) and the Porte du Maine stood near the Monastère et Hopital de la Charité , which were declared public property during the French Revolution. The monastery buildings were demolished, and the land was transformed into a cemetery 25 years later.
The Moulin de la Charité, the monastery’s former flour mill, was fortunately preserved. Initially converted into a guingettes (a type of open-air café) due to its proximity to the Porte Montparnasse, it became the caretaker’s residence when the Montparnasse Cemetery opened. Its sails disappeared long ago, and it is a listed historical monument.
Montparnasse Cemetery – The 2nd largest cemetery in Paris
The Montparnasse Cemetery covers 19 hectares and is one of the four major Parisian cemeteries, alongside the Cimetière de Montmartre, the Père Lachaise and the Cimetière de Passy.
These cemeteries were created in the 18th and 19th centuries, following the closure of parish cemeteries and the transfer of remains to the Catacombs.
With over 750 trees and shrubs, the Montparnasse Cemetery is one of the greenest spaces in Paris.
It has retained its original geometric layout, with tree-lined avenues delineating its different sections, and contains over 40,000 graves, making it the second-largest cemetery in Paris after the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise.
It is divided into two areas, separated by Rue Émile Richard. The eastern section, simply known as Le Petit Cimetière (Small Cemetery), is almost triangular in shape, while the larger, rectangular section is known as Le Grand Cimetière (Great Cemetery).
A wealth of funerary art
The Grand Cimetière is laid out around its central lawn, which is adorned with an allegorical statue of the Génie du Sommeil Eternel – Genius of Eternal Sleep, sculpted by Horace Daillion, and located near the Moulin de la Charité.
The Montparnasse Cemetery is renowned for its rich collection of funerary objects and ornaments, ancient and contemporary.
Sculptures such as Niki de Saint Phalle’s L’Oiseau – The Bird (in section 18) and Le Chat – The Cat (in section 6) stand out.
Her surrealist style is evident in the colourful mosaic covering a 1.5-meter-high cat that she created for the grave of her assistant and friend, Ricardo Menon, who died in 1989.
She also wrote his epitaph:
À notre ami Ricardo qui est mort trop tôt, beau, jeune et aimé.”
“To our friend Ricardo who died too soon, beautiful, young and loved.”
Le Baiser – The Kiss is highly representative of the contemporary style of another renowned artist, the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi, who is also buried in this cemetery.
In addition to individual monuments, there are several commemorative monuments:
The Passive Defence Monument in Division 4, and the Police Prefecture Monument in Division 27, near the Baudelaire Cenotaph.
The monuments to the Memory of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the Republican Guard, and the Fire Brigade stand in the heart of the Petit Cimetière.
Sections 5 (Petit Cimetière) and 30 (Grand Cimetière) mainly contain graves of the Parisian Jewish community.
Who is buried in Montparnasse Cemetery?
The Montparnasse Cemetery is fascinating!
It houses the graves of numerous French and international figures, artists and celebrities, from the 19th century, the early 20th century, and the interwar period.
These individuals contributed to the vibrant cultural life of Montparnasse and the trendy neighbouring district of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, which attracted artists seeking affordable housing after leaving Montmartre.
While it’s impossible to list them all, here are a few examples.
The world of literature is well represented
Charles Baudelaire is buried with his mother and stepfather in a modest grave (Division 6).
The sculptor José de Charmoy created Baudelaire’s funerary monument in 1902. this monument, located between Divisions 26 and 27, along the wall bordering Rue Émile Richar, is a column surmounted by a bust of the poet, depicted in deep contemplation, with a bat at his side.
Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre are buried together (Division 20), just to the right of the entrance to Boulevard Edgar-Quinet. Major figures of the existentialist literary movement, these two writers and philosophers profoundly influenced Saint-Germain-des-Prés during the interwar period.
Jacqueline de Romilly (Division 10) was the first woman elected to the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres in 1975. She later served as its president in 1987.
Marguerite Duras is buried in Division 21. She is world-renowned for her novel L’Amant – The Lover, which won the Prix Goncourt in 1984 and was adapted into a film.
Guy de Maupassant, considered a precursor of the modern short story, is buried in Division 26 (Petit Cimetière).
Samuel Beckett‘s black marble tomb is located in Division 12; the Irish avant-garde novelist spent much of his life in Paris and is famous for his play “Waiting for Godot.”
Eugène Ionesco, a major figure in French avant-garde theatre, is buried in Division 6.
Interested in sculpture, architecture and music?
You will find the tombs of Antoine Bourdelle (Division 15), Constantin Brancusi (Division 18), and the sculptor Jules Dalou (Division 4), famous for his work Le Triomphe de la République on Place de la Nation.
The tomb of Antoine Etex, renowned for his high-relief sculptures La Resistance and La Paix on the Arc de Triomphe, is in Division 7, and that of François Rude, famous for his haut-relief La Marseillaise, also on the Arc de Triomphe, is in Division 1.
Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, famous for creating the Statue of Liberty, designed his own tomb in the Petit Cimetière (Division 28). His tomb is surmounted by a red porphyry obelisk adorned with a bronze statue of an angel ascending to heaven.
César Baldaccini, known as César, was a prominent figure in welded-metal sculpture. He achieved international renown thanks to his monumental sculpture Le Pouce – The Thumb in La Défense. He is also credited with creating the César Award trophy for the cinema.
Charles Garnier, the visionary architect of the Opéra Garnier, is buried in division 11.
The composer Camille Saint-Saëns, famous for masterpieces such as “Carnival of the Animals,” “Danse Macabre,” and “Samson and Delilah,” is buried in division 13.
Familiar with 20th century’ show business celebrities?
You will also discover the graves of filmmakers Jacques Demy, Gérard Oury, Éric Rohmer, and Claude Sautet, as well as those of actors Jean Carmet, Philippe Noiret, Jean-Claude Pascal, Serge Reggiani, and Laurent Terzieff!
Serge Gainsbourg‘s grave (Division 1) is among the most visited, always adorned with surprising offerings! You’ll find everything on this grave: flowers, vegetables, small objects, such as metro tickets or garden gnomes… On the day of our visit, there was a cabbage; Gainsbourg would certainly have loved this!
The Montparnasse Cemetery also houses the graves of many foreign personalities who loved and lived in Paris.
You will undoubtedly be moved when you discover the grave of American actress Jean Seberg (Division 13). She died at 41, but remains eternally young and beautiful in our memories.
Another poignant loss was that of American singer Joëlle from the group Il Était Une Fois, who died at the age of 29; she is buried in Division 7.
Before you leave Montparnasse Cemetery…
You will also find the graves of many politicians, publishers, doctors, and industrial patrons, such as the automobile manufacturer André Citroën, who was buried in the family vault (division 28 – Petit Cimetière).
However, the majority of the graves belong to generations of anonymous Parisians. Their resting places range from the traditional to the unusual, from the amusing to the moving, to the abandoned (sometimes without family).
Some graves are adorned with flowers, while others bear the marks of time. Yet, each one tells the story of its occupant, famous or not.
Thus, as you stroll through the paths of Montparnasse Cemetery, take the time to reflect on these graves.
Allow at least two hours, but half a day is more realistic to fully explore the cemetery.
Before leaving Montparnasse Cemetery, don’t forget to pay your respects at the grave of the eminent historian, philosopher, and politician Edgar Quinet. In 1831, Quinet published “The German Political System,” a seminal work in which he astutely anticipated Prussia’s future hegemony. His grave is located in Division 11.
Opening Hours:
16 March – 5 Nov: Mon to Fri: 8am – 6pm – Sat: 8.30am – 6pm – Sun and PH: 9am – 6pm
6 Nov – 15 March: Mon to Fri: 8am – 5.30pm – Sat: 8.30am – 5.30pm – Sun and PH: 9am – 5.30pm
Open on 1Jan – Easter Sunday and Monday – Ascension – 8Mai – Pentecost Sunday and Monday – 14July – 15Aug – 1st and 11th Nov – 25Dec
Gates close 15mn prior to end of visiting hours
Directions: 14th district – 3 Boulevard Edgar Quinet
Coordinates: Lat 48.837910 – Long 2.327621
Metro: Edgar Quinet, Raspail on Lines 5, 4
RATP Bus 68
