Vaugirard Cemetery: The Oldest Active Cemetery in Paris

During my fourth week in Paris, I was finally able to focus my efforts on visiting cemeteries. I decided to visit a military cemetery since I hadn’t really done that yet. Vaugirard Cemetery was not what I expected for a military cemetery. I had a mental picture of the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Arlington National Cemetery photo by vcudnik. Royalty-free image located at https://pixabay.com/photos/arlington-national-cemetery-cemetery-350566/

As usual, I didn’t know the history of Vaugirard Cemetery before visiting it. I do this because I like to walk a cemetery and figure it out before learning about it. I also enjoy being surprised by my research after the initial visit. My expectation for Vaugirard was to see lines and lines of cookie-cutter headstones. Instead, I saw the same entrance to a cemetery as I saw at most of the others I visited in Paris.

I couldn’t see any indications of military burials until I reached the back of the cemetery. The military section was separated from the “newer” burials by a hedge of bushes. I do wonder if the bushes mark the location of a historic wall or fence.

All around the cemetery were the trappings of residential life. The whole time I was there, I could hear families living life. The most common sound was that of people preparing meals and children playing. These background sounds gave the cemetery a different atmosphere than others I’ve visited. Even though it was firmly planted in the middle of this residential area, I felt like I was in an abandoned and forgotten place. It was the first time I felt extremely alone in a cemetery in Paris. It was weird to have this feeling while surrounded by the sounds of life.

After entering the military section, some odd sounds started following me around the cemetery. The sounds aren’t really audible in the video unless you turn the sound up really loud. I don’t know what it was. Probably it was just a bug, but after that I began to get creeped out. There were quite a few odd sounds after I left the military section. This “creeped out” feeling has only happened to me at one other cemetery. I’m guessing it was just a combination of the atmosphere and the critters of the cemetery realizing someone was there. Regardless, I was ready to leave after experiencing this dose of weirdness.

Check out my Youtube video where I did a walkthrough at the Cimetiere de Vaugirard in Paris, France! Can you guess what was following me around? If you have an idea, please leave a comment and let me know.

After I returned to the United States, I was able to do a bit of background research on this cemetery. Now, I know that it has gone through several different iterations before becoming the cemetery it is today. I learned that there is an ossuary here. Now, I wonder if people are allowed to visit the ossuaries in cemeteries such as Vaugirard. If I ever return, that is what I desire to do: explore the underground areas of the cemeteries.

Check out my research video on Vaugirard Cemetery below or visit my Youtube channel @APlaceForKP.

To learn more about my day and my journey to find the Vaugirard Cemetery, check out this post: Paris: Week Four, Day Six.

After I explored Vaugirard, I decided to go directly to another cemetery called the cimetière de Grenelle (Grenelle Cemetery). It might surprise you to know that this creepy feeling that started in Vaugirard followed me into Grenelle. It was an eventful day!

Check out my experience in Grenelle here.