Jim Morrison's grave, Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

Oscar Wilde's grave, Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

Another shot of Oscar Wilde's grave. Note the damaged genitalia.

Edith Piaf's grave, Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

Marcel Proust's grave, Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

Victor Noir's grave, featuring an effigy with a noticeable bulge, Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

Etienne-Gaspard's Robertson's grave, Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

A grave featuring a dog, Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

Another grave depicting a dog, Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

The crematorium at Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

Memorial to the Holocaust victims of Auschwitz, Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

Holocaust memorial, Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

Another memorial for the Holocaust victims of Auschwitz, Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

The lawn with the cremated human remains, Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

Playing Snakes and Ladders on the sidewalk outside Pere Lachaise cemetery.

Riders on the Storm

July 26, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

I set off on a rainy morning to get to the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. My goal for this outing was to visit the graves of two of the most famous people buried there: Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde.
More info here: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pere-lachai…

Arriving at the cemetery, an usher at the gate gave me a map of the cemetery, which I gladly used to find the two graves, along with Edith Piaf's and Marcel Proust's.

Not surprisingly, both Jim Morrison's and Oscar Wilde's graves were cordoned off. At Oscar Wilde's grave, I eavesdropped on a tour guide telling her clients that Oscar Wilde's grave was controversial because it featured male nudity. She also noted that the genitalia had been broken off and stolen, and that the culprit has never been caught.

Apart from the above graves, I also sought out Atlas Obscura-listed graves of Victor Noir, which is listed because of the generous appendage on his effigy, and Etienne-Gaspard Robertson, who is known for necromancy. I was amused to see that Victor Noir's junk and lips were a different color from the rest of the effigy because they had been rubbed by many people.

Their Atlas Obscura listings:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/erotic-eros…
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/etienne-gas…

While exploring the cemetery, I also saw several depressing Holocaust memorials, and an Atlas Obscura-listed lawn with cremated human remains strewn on lines across the lawn.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cremains-of….Read more