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Written by Adharsh Arulalan on October 31, 2019 Share on

5 Catacombs that will Creep you Out

Do you have the guts to visit one of these Eerie Chambers? Or are you brave enough to spend the night over at an Underground Cemetery? Check out the top creepiest Catacombs around the globe that houses thousands of bodies and sends chills down your spine. And if you’re up for more creepy stories, check out our list of Haunted hotels where you could spend the night.

Heads Up : The 5th Catacomb may have you skip a beat.

Lima (Peru) : Monastery of San Francisco

Kojin
Image Credit : Kojin

After construction got completed in 1774, the grounds acted as Lima’s first cemetery. When overcrowding became an issue, the sextons dissolved corpses in quicklime leaving only the skeletons behind. Known to have the “Best Bone Design” today, these chambers had secret passageways down to the catacombs during the Holy Inquisition. An estimate of 25,000 – 75,000 bodies remain in here today.

Rome (Italy) : Church of San Clemente

Image Credit :GetYourGuide
Image Credit : GetYourGuide

Escape the crowds of the Colosseum and Vatican, and explore the darker side of Rome in these labyrinth of catacombs that date back to the 2nd Century AD. Maintained by the Papacy today, these 40 – odd catacombs holds 4 layers of history. The Capuchin Crypt – locally known as the “Bone Chapel”, has its walls decorated with the bones of 4,000 monks.

Brno (Czech Republic) : Church of St. James in Brno

Image Credit : Photos of the week
Image Credit : Photos of the week

Rediscovered in 2001, the Brno Ossuary holds the remains of over 50,000 people which makes it the second-largest ossuary in Europe (after the Paris Catacombs). The European Union and the Czech Republic split an amount of 40 million CZK that was invested in research, preservation and safety. You can tell what disease a person died from by the tint of their bones.

Alexandria (Egypt) : Kom el Shoqafa

Image Credit : weepingredorger
Image Credit : weepingredorger

Located to the west of Pompy’s Pillar, these catacombs were discovered accidentally in 1990 when a donkey’s cart fell in a pit. Translated to as “Mound of Shards”, the Kom el Shoqafa is said to be the only Catacomb to house three cultures, three arts, and three religions (Egyptain, Greek and Roman) were superimposed upon Egyptian soil. It is said that the lowest level is still submerged deep down the earth and is not accessible.

Paris (France) : Catacombs of Paris

Image Credit : The Guardian
Image Credit : The Guardian

Beneath the bustling city of 12 million people lies the dark chambers of the city’s Catacombs that houses the remains of 6 million bodies. Known as the “World’s Largest Grave”,  these catacombs have their origins in the limestone quarries situated on the outskirts of the city. An estimate of 300 Cataphiles enter the catacombs each week via secret entrances.

Now that you have a good dose of heebie-jeebies, are you game to stay at one?

Image Credit : The Guardian

Airbnb’s latest rental offer gives you the chance to spend the scariest night of the year (Halloween) at the Catacombs of Paris .. along with 6 million other dead people. The competition launched on their website offers two people a night in the catacombs on 31st October, with a “real bed”, dinner with private concert and breakfast. Unsurprisingly, there will be no ensuite, television, internet or tea/coffee making facilities.

Before bedtime, a storyteller will have you spellbound with fascinating tales from the catacombs, guaranteed to give you nightmares. Enjoy dawn with the dead, as you become the only living person ever to wake up in the Paris catacombs .. Or Not!!

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