Cataphiles are
urban explorers who illegally tour the
Mines of Paris
The mines of Paris ( – "quarries of Paris") comprise a number of abandoned, subterranean mines under Paris, France, connected together by galleries. Three main networks exist; the largest, known as the ("large south network"), lies under the ...
, a term popularly used to describe a series of tunnels that were built as a network of stone mines, which are no longer used. The
Catacombs of Paris
The Catacombs of Paris (, ) are underground ossuaries in Paris, France, which hold the remains of more than six million people. Built to consolidate Paris's ancient stone quarries, they extend south from the ("Gate of Hell") former city gate. ...
comprise a subset of this network.
Unauthorized visits
Entrance to the mines is restricted. The portion open to the public (the
catacombs
Catacombs are man-made underground passages primarily used for religious purposes, particularly for burial. Any chamber used as a burial place is considered a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire.
Etym ...
) is only a small part of an extensive network of tunnels, which spans around in length and criss-cross large sections of the city. The tunnel system is complex, and though some tunnels have plaques indicating the name of the street above, it is easy to get lost. Some passages are low or narrow, and others are partially flooded. There are aging telephone wires, pipes, and other impediments that can hinder progress, and
cave-in
A cave-in is a collapse of a geologic formation, mine or structure which may occur during mining, tunneling, or steep-walled excavation such as trenching. Geologic structures prone to spontaneous cave-ins include alvar, tsingy and other ...
s, although rare, do occasionally occur. A good guide is indispensable, and many guides occasionally refer to a map. Because of these dangers, accessing the catacombs without official escort has been illegal since 2 November 1955. There is a
€
The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...
60 fine for people caught by the E.R.I.C - the special police who patrol the mines (colloquially known as "cataflics"
).
Secret entrances exist throughout Paris, and it is sometimes possible to enter the mines via the sewers, metro, and certain manholes.
Some unofficial visitors hold keys to certain official entrances. On rare occasions people use these access points and illegally enter the mines — for example, to meet clandestinely, to search for valuables, to hold unusual parties, or simply as
urban explorers.
In September 2004, the French police discovered an underground movie theater run by
les UX
The ''UX'' (short for ''Urban eXperiment'') is an underground organization of Urban explorers that improves hidden corners of Paris. Their work includes an undercover effort to repair and restore the Panthéon's clock, building a cinema — compl ...
— a French artistic movement that seeks to convey their ideas using underground places.
Cataphiles often descend for a day, a night, or perhaps a week to explore, photograph, paint murals, create maps, clean up rooms, and dig ''chatières'' (very narrow tunnels, that one can only crawl through).
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References
External links
Underground Virtual Visit{{in lang, en
Culture of Paris
Subterranea (geography)
Urban exploration