Lack of space Paris raffles off historic graves in celebrity cemeteries
The city is raffling off historic gravesites in three famous Parisian cemeteries to interested buyers. In return, anyone who restores a grave is given an inner-city burial site for their own funeral.
09.11.2025, 20:30
SDA
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- Paris wants to give away 30 historic burial sites in the famous Père-Lachaise, Montparnasse and Montmartre cemeteries.
- The aim is to provide Parisians with inner-city burials again despite the lack of space.
- In return, they undertake to restore the old, listed graves.
The project is a compromise in an effort to enable Parisians to be buried within the city when space is at a premium, while at the same time preserving the heritage of historic gravesites in the cemeteries, the city announced. The first attempt will involve 30 graves in the Père-Lachaise, Montparnasse and Montmartre cemeteries.
Whoever gets hold of a future burial place there is sure to have illustrious neighbors in the surrounding graves. US singer Jim Morrison, for example, rests in the Père-Lachaise cemetery, as does singer Édith Piaf, while writer and philosopher Simone de Beauvoir and former French president Jacques Chirac are buried in the Montparnasse cemetery.
For several decades, cemetery users throughout France have been declaring their willingness to restore an old monument in exchange for a burial site, the city administration explained. In Paris, residents are often forced to move to a cemetery outside the city, as not only is living space scarce in the capital, but space in cemeteries is also rare.
Unused gravesites under monument protection
The city, in turn, is confronted with untended historical graves in cemeteries that it cannot remove for reasons of monument protection. If these were restored, this would also have the ecological advantage that granite would not have to be imported from far away for future gravesites.
It costs 4000 euros to purchase the gravesites, which were often built over 150 years ago and have long since fallen into disuse. In addition, there is the usual lease for the mostly temporary use of the gravesite. Specifically, it is about grave monuments in a classic and simple form, mainly gravestones or gravestones with stele, the city announced.
Strict selection process
A strict selection process awaits those interested in the gravesites. They must prove that they live in Paris and must submit two offers from specialist companies to restore the gravesite to its original state. Under certain circumstances, the work may have to be carried out under the supervision of the monument protection authorities and, as there is already lively interest in the graves, a lottery will be held among the candidates, the city announced.
