Cimetière parisien de Thiais

The cimetière parisien de Thiais is one of three Parisian cemeteries extra muros, and is located in the commune of Thiais, in the Val-de-Marne department, in the Île-de-France region.

Cimetière parisien de Thiais
Entrance of the Cimetière parisien de Thiais
Details
Established1929
Location
Coordinates48.763°N 2.375°E / 48.763; 2.375
TypePublic (non-denominational)
Owned byMairie de Paris
Size103 hectares (250 acres)
No. of graves150,000
Find a GraveCimetière parisien de Thiais

History

The cemetery was opened in October 1929 and is therefore the newest of the three Parisian cemeteries extra muros. The others being the cimetière parisien de Bagneux and the cimetière parisien de Pantin. It is now a true cosmopolitan cemetery, where many faiths are represented.[1]

Size

Thiais is the second largest Parisian cemetery. Only Pantin is larger. There are about 6,000 trees. The cemetery is divided into 123 numbered divisions in which there are an estimated 150,000 graves. Because the cemetery is so large, people with a walking disability can be driven around.

Notable burials

  • In divisions 48 through 55 there are Jardins de la Fraternité which are meant for burial of those in Paris who could not afford burial or who could not be identified. Because of this it has the reputation of being the "Cemetery of the poor and penniless".[2]
  • Ashes of the dead who donated their body to science are scattered in Division 102, where several stelae stand in their memory.
  • Division 94 is reserved for stillbirths.
  • There are military sections in divisions 1 and 17.

There are also a number of memorials:

Individual burials. Many of the graves have been cleared after the concession ran out.

Location

Located in the banlieue southwest of the city of Paris, France, the main entrance to the Cimetière de Thiais is located at 261 Route de Fontainebleau, in Thiais, near the junction with Avenue de la Republique. There is also a smaller entrance: Porte Est on Avenue de Général de Gaulle.

The inhabitants of Thiais are buried in the communal cemetery just off Avenue Général de Gaulle, near Espace des 4 Saisons.

Public transport

Paris Métro Line 7 RER C The cimetière de Thiais is a short walk from the Villejuif – Louis Aragon métro station, which can be reached by taking line 7. The nearest railway station is Pont de Rungis – Aéroport d'Orly which is served by line C, although it is not really nearby.

Bus The cimetière de Thiais is also served by bus lines 185, 192, 285 and 396.

There is a Vélib' station at Avenue de Fontainebleau (42703).

References

  1. (in French) Thiais on the Cimetiéres de France et d'ailleurs website
  2. Thiais on the Landru Cemeteries website
  3. "Laval's Body Taken To Family Mausoleum". Lubbock Morning Avalanche. Lubbock, Texas. 16 November 1945. p. 3. Retrieved 2 August 2016 via Newspapers.com. The bullet-pierced body of Pierre Laval was moved today to the mausoleum of the Chambrun family in Montparnasse cemetery from an unmarked grave in Thiais cemetery, where it had lain since the former premier was executed as a traitor a month ago.
  4. "Laval's Body Moved To Chambrun Crypt". Harrisburgh Telegraph. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. November 15, 1945. p. 10. Retrieved 2 August 2016 via Newspapers.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.