The Catacombs: History’s Creepiest Basement and the World’s Gothiest Tourist Trap

💀 Beneath Your Feet: The Origins

Picture this: ancient Romans and later Parisians staring at jam-packed cemeteries, shrugging, and saying, “Guess we’re going underground.” Rome’s catacombs (2nd–5th century CE) were carved by early Christians and Jews who weren’t allowed to bury their dead inside city walls. Fast forward to 18th-century Paris—cemeteries overflowed, streets stank of death, and someone finally had the galaxy-brain idea to dump millions of bones into abandoned limestone quarries. Voilà—the Paris Catacombs: the ultimate goth décor before Hot Topic was even a twinkle in a mall’s eye.

🕰️ Modern Day: From Tombs to Tourism

These tunnels aren’t active burial sites anymore—they’re history museums wearing skeleton pajamas.

Rome’s Catacombs: Guided tours show frescoes and crypts, now managed by the Vatican and Italian authorities.

Paris’ Catacombs: A legal, curated section is open to the public… but beneath that is over 200 miles of forbidden tunnels. Cue the Cataphiles—daredevils sneaking in for illegal raves, graffiti, and secret art shows. (Yes, the Paris police have an actual “Catacombs Unit” whose job is to bust underground parties. That’s a résumé flex.)

Elsewhere: Naples, Odessa, and other cities still have catacomb-style tunnels—some doubling as WWII shelters or wine cellars. Because nothing says “cheers” like sipping Merlot next to a skull wall.

☕ The Spicy Takeaway

They’re proof humans will stack bones like IKEA furniture when city planning fails. They’re creepy, historic, illegal-party-friendly, and they whisper across centuries: “Urban planning is hard—also, don’t forget a map.”