Originally, I planned to visit more cemeteries on my trip. While I desire to branch out into other areas of preservation, cemeteries still bring me joy. I did get to visit two cemeteries and they were quite impressive.
First, Montparnasse Cemetery.
One thing I noticed here was the density of burials. Everything is so close together. In addition, the pathways are fairly clear.
There was a little overgrowth of weeds here and there but nothing that is impossible to manage. The French do a wonderful job of maintaining their cemeteries. I noticed immediately that there are no huge swathes of green land here. There is no mowing happening here (1) because it’s not necessary due to lack of grass and (2) because a mower probably couldn’t even fit down these pathways. Although, knowing the French, there’s a tool for that.
Along the walls of the cemetery, things were a little more unruly.
I would guess that it was time to clean this area up. In America, this is the growing season for our cemeteries. In fact, it only takes about a month of unchecked growth for a barely maintained cemetery to disappear completely from sight. The French will never have this problem with their cemeteries. Even if this one area did grow out of control, it wouldn’t take much to fix it and it wouldn’t have a huge impact on the cemetery as a whole.
Next, I visited Pere Lachaise Cemetery.
This cemetery featured several different types of pathways. Most were made with cobblestones . Others were dirt walkways. Some pathways had cement sidewalks. And, others were lined with trees.
Having seen the devastating effects trees can have on cemeteries, I question the use of them in what is the oldest cemetery in Paris. The root system of one tree can reach out 20 feet or more, causing upheaval in the surrounding ground. One storm can knock a tree over and leave cemetery caretakers with giant 10 foot tall root balls to dispose of. And, let’s not forget the potential for those root balls to completely disinter human remains, as happened last year in a cemetery where I worked. The French have shown they are masterful at controlling green spaces. They probably have someone checking the trees, protecting the surrounding ground and burials, etc. It still worries me though.
This cemetery also featured green spaces where people weren’t allowed to walk. There were no burials in these areas. I suppose they are just there for silent contemplation.
And a few burials were more like what we see in the US.
Ultimately, I was truly impressed with the cemeteries I visited. I believe the French way is far superior to the American way. I don’t think it’s too late to change how we do things in the US. In fact, this system could be very beneficial to Black and BIPOC burial spaces. These cemeteries disappear from sight daily and it’s because the owners can’t afford the astronomical costs of lawn care, maintenance, and preservation. I look forward to the day when the US government values and funds preservation as much as the French government does.
Kelly, it is so interesting to hear your perspective on cemeteries especially because of your background work. I didn’t know before that tree roots could cause such severe damage and upheaval. It makes sense but I hadn’t thought about what could happen if a bad storm rolls through. Yikes. I agree with you that the US could do so much more with cemeteries, and i’m interested to know what you mean by “it’s not too late”? For future cemeteries or for newer ones? I also don’t think much about the maintenance of cemeteries, or the cost associated, but I can imagine it’s not cheap. I thought it was amazing that in Parisian cemeteries they have a donation box to subsidize burials for those unable to afford it. Thanks again!