Paris, France
Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.
—Victor Hugo (1802–1885), French playwright and novelist
A walk through the beautiful and serene Père Lachaise, amid broad, leafy trees, moss-encrusted headstones, gleaming marble busts, stoic stone cherubs, columned temples, ornate crosses, marble statues of children, legions of angels, and red roses everywhere, can be a soul-soothing and spiritually moving experience. This special cemetery that Parisians call the “City of the Dead” is notable for the famous people interred in its hallowed ground, including the tragic lovers Abelard and Hèloïse, Chopin, Édith Piaf, Colette, Marcel Proust, Honoré de Balzac, Alice B. Toklas, Yves Montand, and Jim Morrison. Père Lachaise has served as the model for the gardens found in rural cemeteries of the United States since about 1831.
If you feel that cemeteries serve as a spiritual link to the past or you would like to venerate a departed soul buried in Père Lachaise, embark on a trip to Paris. The main entrance is located at Rue de Repos.
Walk through the cemetery and feel the peace in your heart. If there is someone with whom you would like to commune, invite that person’s spirit to be present with you, inspiring you as you explore. Offer a prayer for that departed soul.
If you’re seeking a closer connection to these tranquil grounds, read “Soliloquy in the Cemetery of Père Lachaise” by French poet Jean Garrigue, who the Saturday Review called, “undeniably original and individual as an artist, and a craftsman in complete command of her medium.” Garrigue captures the cemetery’s eerie beauty and its unique effect on those who visit.