Cimetière Passy - un message privé

Passy Cemetery

Passy Cemetery sits in the shadow of la Tour Eiffel 

and is the final resting place of the painter Édouard Manet, 

a key figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.

On the left corner of his grave I found a weathered

message anchored by small rocks.
Always watch for the details

Passy Cemetery
2, rue du Commandant Schloesing
75016, Paris
 

Père Lachaise en hiver

Père Lachaise

In summer these bare branches are filled 

with leaves making a canopy of shade from the heat and sun.  

In winter, the "tree bones" litter the narrow stone paths 

with a mosaic of shadows.

If you are a winter visitor, put Père Lachaise on your list.  

You can wander through the 110 acres 

and almost have the place to yourself, 

or you can get a map (here) and locate a specific grave.

The long shadows of winter will give you memorable photos.

le Cimetière du Père Lachaise

16, rue de Repos

75020, Paris

Décomposition et désespoir

Decay and despair

Overturned tombstones, doors ajar, unkempt grounds...


This desolate cemetery pairs well with the expression on this caryatid

(not Père Lachaise)

Cimetière de Passy - le gardien

Cimetière de Passy

the caretaker

I am attracted to cemeteries and have sought them out in every city visited.  Paris has an abundance of cemeteries and many stories to go with them

Cimetière de Passy is less than six acres in size making it easy to cover in about an hour.  You will find the famous and the not-so-famous, a princess, artists, aviators, actresses, and many more.  You may even catch a glimpse of the caretaker going about his business.

All the while, la Tour Eiffel is peeking over your shoulder.

Cimetière de Passy
2, rue de Commandant Schloesing
75016 Paris

Cimetière de Passy

Cimetière de Passy

The porcelain wreaths and flowers are usually broken, 

either through carelessness or vandalism.  

This one caught my eye for the delicate colors.  

Then one notices the long life enjoyed by this couple 

who saw many changes in Paris over their lifetimes.  

How rare was it to live to almost 100?

Cimetière de Passy

2, rue du Commandant Schloesing

75016, Paris

Métro Trocadéro

Père Lachaise - crossing

Crossing

Crossing the stone paths of Cimetière du Père Lachaise

perhaps a symbol for passing from this life to the next

Cimetière du Père Lachaise

75020, Paris

Joining the City Daily Photo Blogs

for April's Theme Day

"crossing"

Père Lachaise XII - les ombres

Père Lachaise

I have an affinity for photographing cemeteries and Cimetière du Père Lachaise is a favorite.  No matter the season, the weather, or the time of day, one finds interesting lines, reflections, shapes, and ghosts.   

Although one would think that a cemetery does not change from day to day,

 it is different on each visit.

 (No, I have not seen ghosts)

Cimetière du Père-Lachaise

Boulevard de Ménilmontant

75020, Paris

Métro Père Lachaise, or
Métro Phillippe Auguste

Sainte-Geneviève des Bois - le cimetière

The Russian Orthodox Cemetery

at Sainte-Geneviève des Bois

Although I have only seen this cemetery in the fall, 

in any month one imagines that the setting would still appear as an artist's palette 

but in the shades of the proper season.

Whether carpeted with Ginko leaves, 

a rare blanket of snow, 

or the petals of the spring blooms,

 it would surely be an artist's canvas.

Russian Orthodox Cemetery

Sainte-Geneviève des Bois

(Joyeux anniversaire, Renée)

Cimetière Montparnasse

A photographer can often capture a scene and not know the heartfelt story. 

In this case, we can supply our own memories and a story perhaps.

Cimetière Montparnasse
Métro Raspail (there are several)
75014, Paris

Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois - Ginko leaves

A carpeted path of gold...

Russian Orthodox Cemetery

Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois

Cimetière Montmartre

When I visit a city, I always search out the cemeteries.  This was my first trip to Montmartre, and it was regrettably closed.

We could only peer from the bridge down the lonely center road  



Père Lachaise - Thomas Couture

Thomas Couture was a classical 19th Century history painter and portraitist, most famous for his "Romans in the Decadence of the Empire" found today in Musée D'Orsay at a grand 472 x 772 cm (15 feet by 25 feet).

He was critical of the moral decadence of France under the July monarchy (the ruling class) and alluding to French society the "Romans" of his masterpiece translated to "French in the Decadence." He later left Paris and started his own school, and among his students were Edouard Manet, Henri Fantin-Latour, and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes.

Père Lachaise X

Granite, limestone, marble, painstakingly chisled...

Shades of green, either paint or patina....

Canopy of trees fully leafed for the season...

All in quiet homage to those who have gone...

Père Lachaise IX - Forlorn

Quite often I think of cemeteries in terms of black and white, but she was just too lovely with her alabaster-like skin offset by the dark green foliage to take out the color.

Père Lachaise VIII - Shadows

The long shadows of winter are perfect for casting shadows on the tomb walls. The twisted bare tree branches reach up in contrast to the crystal blue sky over Père Lachaise.

Père Lachaise - room with a view

Known as the "grandest address in Paris" this cemetery of over 100 acres is the final resting place of both the famous and the infamous. It is a great place to wander with a purpose, perhaps to find the tomb of Chopin and Delacroix, or to flâner the cobblestone paths admiring the beauty of times past. Maps are available at the front entrance gratuit if you want a purposeful search.

Cimetière du Père-Lachaise

Boulevard de Ménilmontant

Métro Père Lachaise, or
Métro Phillippe Auguste

Père Lachaise VI

What a heavy load to bear...

Père Lachaise V

An often-photographed path of Père Lachaise...

One-way path....

Père Lachaise is so large that I cannot imagine ever seeing all of its narrow paths, marble cherubs, forlorn flowers on tombstones, and memorials to its famous and not-so-famous inhabitants.

I thought that the shadow on the left looks like a man in a bowler hat. Perhaps I should have looked over my shoulder.

Lonesome cherub

How many hundreds of little cherubs are to be found in the cimeteries of Paris?