PERE-LACHAISE PUBLIC CIMETERY HOME FOR LEGENDS & CELEBRITIES

USPA NEWS - I wrote an article about Cimetery PERE-LACHAISE to promote that prestigious touristic location in Paris, wich was removed few days ago after a defematory accusation from a fake "guide", illegal status denounced by French Authorities. Let us give the keys about abusive lucrative business on tourists.

You will find at the end, the previous article I put online before being removed... Now, let start our story. The article was based on the time we spent in the Cemetery PERE-LACHAISE. We took pictures as allowed by the City Hall of Paris (the cemetery is a public location belonging to the City of Paris), discussed with French and foreign tourists, also engaged conversations with some of so-called "guides". So, we have quite a good idea of the situation.
Our purpose was symbolic towards this place which is full of glorious international past regarding all kinds of fields. Under shock, when noticing that my article was removed and knowing that it was by Mr R.V., with my colleague Ruby BIRD, we did some research and found out about this guy.

This individual is the symbol of some illegal activities undertaken in Paris around the Cemetery PERE-LACHAISE. The City Hall on its website clearly WARNS people against individuals coming to them pretending being "Official Guides" or "Cemetery PERE-LACHAISE's Guide". This status does not exist at all. One has to understand how lucrative the business can be when the "Guide" charges between five and ten Euros per person for a visit and goes up to between 50 and 150 Euros per group according to how many they are. Also, to be able to understand better, is the fact that the City Hall of Paris proposes FOR FREE, on its website, the map of the Cemetery in French, English, Italian & Spanish (in the article I was proposing a photo of a similar map)

Also, you can enjoy a virtual visit of the Cemetery when you know already wich celebrity's grave you are looking for. A list is proposed by alphabetical order. Even, you can visit the Cemetery on video... All this FOR FREE on the City Hall website, when you mention Cimetière du PERE-LACHAISE. Following, you have (in french, sorry !) the whole history of the Cemetery and the biographie of each famous personnality.

To conclude, I was accused wrongly just because I was informing in order to let foreign tourists enjoy their stay in Paris without knowing that I was disturbing an abusive lucrative business...

Website: equipement.paris.fr/cimetiere-du-pere-lachaise-4080

PERE-LACHAISE CIMETERY is famous worldwide for hosting the most prestigious celebrities of the world such as Sarah Bernhard, Oscar Wilde, Jim Morisson, Edith Piaf, Honoré de Balzac, Chopin, Molière, Jean de la Fontaine, Simone Signoret, Yves Montand, Bizet, Camus, Alexandre Brongniart, Alfred de Musset, Louis Visconti, Colette, Gioacchino Rossini, Ferdinand de Lesseps, Camille Pissaro, Jean-François Champollion,...

PERE-LACHAISE CIMETERY was formely called "EAST CIMETERY". It is he largest Cemetery in PARIS (44 hectares). It was the first garden cimetery and the first municipal cemetery. also, we can notice that it is also the site of the World War I memorials.
The Cimetery takes its name from the Confessor to LOUIS XIV, Père François de la CHAISE (1624-1709) who lived in the Jesuit House rebuilt in 1682 on the site of the Chapel. Established by NAPOLEON in 1804, the Cimetery was laid out by Alexandre Theodore BRONGNIARD and later extended.

PERE-LACHAISE CIMETERY was opened on 21 May, 1804. NAPOLEON, who had proclaimed EMPEROR by the SENATE three days earlier, had declared during the CONSULATE that "every citizen has the right to be buried regardless of race or religion".

Many Roman Catholics refused to have their grave in a place that had not been blessed by the Church. In 1817, the transfer of JEAN DE LA FONTAINE, MOLIERE... and more famous people, this strategy of "marketing" achieved its desired effect : people began clamouring to be buried among the FAMOUS CITIZENS.

The Communards' Wall (Mur des Fédérés) is also located in the cimetery. This is the site where hundred fourty-seven Communards, the last defenders of the worker's district of BELLEVILLE, were shot on 28 May, 1871 (the last days of the "Bloody Week" or "semaines sanglante") in which the PARIS COMMUNE (La Commune de PARIS) was crushed... Finally, this cemetery is one of the best attractions of PARIS after of course, La TOUR EIFFEL, SACRE COEUR, L'ARC DE TRIOMPHE, LE SACRE COEUR, NOTRE DAME DE PARIS,...