The Paris Catacombs! Ep.76

[00:00:10] Let's go. Right then guys, hello and welcome back to The Spooky Shed Podcast where you can hear all things about the spooky, the weird and the paranormal. So you've got myself, Billy, who has, this is the first time he's done an episode himself in a good long while. And I've got obviously my good friend Liam here. Hello. How are you doing mate? I'm not very bad mate, I'm not very bad, you've just followed through. Aye, aye, just a little bit.

[00:00:38] If you go on the Instagram highlights guys, before you take that too seriously, you'll see what happened. Last episode you did was the 16th of February. 16th of February, so that's nearly a month ago now. Will it be over a month by the time this one comes out probably? Yeah, yeah, yeah, Jesus, yeah. So, if there's any rust I apologise guys, but yeah, we're going to give it a shot and we're going to get into what we love to do. And I've just almost collapsed the desk.

[00:01:06] Right then Liam, so first of all, you know how I work when I do my episodes. I've got three would you rather dilemmas, so to say, for you. So, cave adventure or haunting night? Hang on. So, would you rather spend a night alone in a deep unexplored cave with only a flashlight or stay overnight in a notoriously haunted house where ghosts are notoriously seen? House? House?

[00:01:35] In the house? Mm-hmm. No questions asked? Nope, not going in a cave, claustrophobic. Fair enough, fair enough. Like I said, I'm on the bigger side of life. I'm not going into any small spaces. Fuck that for a game of cards. Yeah, I hate caves. The whole idea of caves terrifies me. Yeah. The next one Liam. Would you rather see a full-bodied ghost standing at the foot of your bed? And that's like, take that seriously, yeah. But be unable to move?

[00:02:03] Or would you rather hear an unknown voice whisper your name while trapped in a cave with no light? Well, like I've just said about going in a cave. Right, well, no, we're going to put a big, big ass cave, all right? How about that? Nine foot, but each fucking, you know what I mean. Well, I'm six free. I've only got a fucking free fucking space there, you twat. Well, there you go. Let's say that your bedroom's fucking nine foot across as well. Fucking hell, right. Probably the ghost. Yeah, but which one?

[00:02:32] The first one. Right, so the one. I actually see the ghost. At the bed. I'd rather see it than hear it. Yeah, you said that. Yeah. That's, it still blows my mind that you'd rather that, but I mean, fair, each third one. No, because if I'm just hearing something, I'm going to think I'm going mental. I hear enough voices in me, I don't need any more. What, but if you see something, you're not going to think you're going mental? No, not as much. See, it's the opposite for me. If I've seen something, I'll be like, I need fucking different kind of pills here. This is fucked. There's no way this is real kind of thing.

[00:03:03] Yeah, come on, what's the last one? Third and last one, mate. Would you rather get lost in an ancient underground cave system with no clear way out? Hang for you. No way out, but we'll make it a big cave, Liam. Fucking 11 feet across, how about that? That'll do. Or be followed by an unseen entity that whispers in your ear for an entire week? Well, then the first one again, because I'm not having anything whispering in my ear. We've got him in a cave. But it also depends what the whispering at you.

[00:03:31] I've said that, because we've had this conversation sort of before. It's a lot. No, I'll take that one and then I can deal with that. I get called that plenty. Yeah. I don't know, fucking hot dog in a burger. How about that? No, again, that wouldn't bother me. I mean like, I'm going to kill your family in your sleep sort of thing. All right, okay. How about that then? All right then. Then it's going to whisper Kay's name. Well, I want Kay. Fuck's sake, right? Okay, fine. He's having it. Which one are you taking? The cave or the... Cave. The cave.

[00:04:01] I don't want any more voices in my head. We've still got you in a fucking cave. So I'm guessing we're talking about a cave today, Billy. Not just any old cave, mate. Right. Not just any old cave. I wouldn't necessarily call it a cave, really. Are we doing the Bell Witch? We're not doing the Bell Witch. Oh, you cunt. We're not doing the Bell Witch. I spoke a little bit about the Bell Witch last time. Aye. But no. Because that's cave related, I think. Yeah, it is. Yeah, absolutely is. This one, mate.

[00:04:29] You might be more excited for this one. This one, Liam, we are doing the Paris Catacombs. Ooh, now you're talking. So I said earlier to Liam that there was an episode I've got planned for today. And I couldn't believe I hadn't done it yet. It's not really a cave, though. No, this is what I was saying. More of a tunnel system. Yeah, tunnel system, underground passage, whatever you want to call it. Do you actually know? I mean, I'm sure it'll tell you in here. But do you know how many miles it stretches for that's known? Oh, it's fucking ridiculous.

[00:04:57] Obviously, I don't know any sort of number, but I know it's fucking ridiculous. 125 miles. Yeah. And that's just that's known, that's mapped. Yeah. It's absolutely insane. Scandalous, isn't it? And to this day, it's never been fully explored. So anyway, so here's some of the history, the details and the mysteries of the Paris Catacombs. So the Paris Catacombs are an extensive underground. This is for anyone who don't know what they are. I'd imagine everyone does, but you never know.

[00:05:25] They are an extensive underground ossuary that holds the remains of Ovis. Get on this one. Six. Do you have any idea on the number? Sorry, I've cut myself off. Six million. Yeah. Six. It was obvious at that point, wasn't it? Because if you said a hundred or a thousand, that would be like, fuck off. Yeah. That's boring. Yeah. Over six million people beneath the streets of Paris. They are among the most famous underground sites in the world, blending history, horror and urban exploration.

[00:05:55] So, origins. Why were the Catacombs created? Do you have any idea, Liam? So we're running out of places to bury people, aren't we? Well done, mate. That's kind of a given, really. Yeah, I suppose. This might be jumping ahead, and I'm sorry to interrupt you again. You're okay. Do we have any known people that are down there? We've got a list, have we? So when you say known, do you mean like buried? Yeah. I don't believe so, no. I don't mean people living down there. No, no, no.

[00:06:24] So as far as I'm aware, I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but the vast majority of that six million. Oh, known. Yeah. Peasants. Yeah. Yeah. All right, okay. We'll go with that, whatever. Well, I thought they were called back then. Yeah, yeah. No one important would have just been shot in there, as far as I'm aware. Yeah, like Napoleon's not down there, is he? Yeah, no, no. However, no, no. I'm going to save that bit for later. He'd fit though. He would fit. So would you, would be fair? You're not much taller than him. Well, at least I can explore them.

[00:06:56] Right. Right. So, how tall was Napoleon? I think he was. I don't know. He was five foot two or something, Dan. Oh, was he? Was he that small? I don't know. Oh, fucking hell. Do you want me to find out for you? Yeah, please. I'd love to stand over Napoleon. God. That sounds fucking sexual. Show me his croissant. You can't leave my head. How tall was Napoleon? Five foot six and a half. Shit. Is he the same height as you? Is he the same height as me, mate? Short ass.

[00:07:26] Well, one of the most famous conquerors of all time. And he's the same height as me. He wasn't very good, was he? He was. Well, sort of. Lost, didn't he? Eh? He lost too eventually, didn't he? Well, doesn't everyone lose eventually? Well. Yeah. Depends on how you look at it. Hitler. What about him? I mean, he was vastly successful until he lost.

[00:07:53] Well, if you were to call the murder of millions of people a success, believe it, then that's your opinion. In his eyes, in his eyes, it was. Fucking hell. Jesus Christ. He didn't have to do that. Right, Alexander the Great. Never heard of him. Fuck off. I have heard of him. I don't know what the hell he did. Fucking hell. Right, that's the story for another time. Right.

[00:08:17] So, by the late 1700s, Paris faced a severe burial crisis due to overcrowded cemeteries. The most infamous case involved the, here we go, Cimetière des Innocents. Ooh, it's not bad. Here we go. Give it a go. The city's largest and oldest graveyard located in the heart of Paris. Used since the Middle Ages, less innocence became dangerously overfilled. Corpses were stacked in mass graves and bodies often remained exposed. Nice.

[00:08:47] Now, this is going to sound really dark and really fucked up, but I really want to go to, like, one of those exposed graveyards. What the fuck's wrong with you? There's... I don't know. It's just to get that feeling. I'm addicted to the feeling. How do we mean an exposed graveyard? So, where there's, like, you might just see a fucking arm. What about something that lasts really long? Or a coffin that's just sort of collapsed through. Right. But you can see straight into it and see the corpse. Aye. I know it's fucked. So, you want to see a corpse? What the fuck's wrong with you? No, it's getting the feeling of that graveyard being there where there's so many sort of...

[00:09:17] Oh, you're fucking... You're tapped. There's one in Buenos Aires and I... I'd love to go there. I can't remember the name of the life of me now. We actually spoke about it in the last episode. So, go watch that episode if you haven't already. You'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Or listen to it. Or listen to it. Or listen to it. Did I say watch? Yeah, again. Right, anyway. So, in 1780, a cello wall collapsed under the pressure of decomposing bodies, spilling corpses into neighbouring properties. Nice. Can you fucking imagine that, mate?

[00:09:46] Sat-watching Dealer No-Dealer and a body comes through the wall. No-deal! Oh, fucking hell. As long as it was Noel Edmonds, I wouldn't care. Yeah, he'd be called him the dealer. Um... Probably has a dealer. Horrific odours and disease outbreaks spread, forcing authorities to find a radical solution.

[00:10:10] So, Paris sat on an ancient network of limestone quarries that had supplied stone for the city's buildings since Roman times. See, to me, that's just silly in itself, I think. Because that must... What, build a city on top of that? Because you're thinking, uh... It's going to give way. Yeah, singles and shit. It's mental, that. Because I was going to say, as soon as you said that, I was going to say, oh, what were they originally used for? Because I thought they were actually made for that. Yeah, no, no.

[00:10:37] That was just what they were mainly used for and what are vastly known for being used for. Fair enough. Um... So, King Louis... Here we go. What is that? 16th, probably. I think he's the famous one. It is. It is, mate. Mm-hmm. XVI. Aye. King Louis XVI ordered the relocation of remains from overcrowded cemeteries into these abandoned mines. I think I interrupted you again. Do you know who I know who Louis XVI is? Titanic.

[00:11:06] That's what he says to me when he gives it the fucking... The blue fucking heart thing. Oh, really? Aye, he says it was his. Shit. I didn't know that. Obviously, it wasn't really because it's not a real thing. No, I know. Favourite film, though? Yes, yes. As we've established. Banging. Good film. So, between 1785 and 1787, millions of bones were exhumed and transferred into tunnels forming what became the catacombs of Paris.

[00:11:32] So, this is the transformation into a proper ossuary in the 19th century. So, at first, the bones were simply dumped into the tunnels, creating chaotic heaps. In 1810, Louis Etienne Herricart de Thury, that'll do, the inspector of quarries, transformed... I should have just said that. ...transformed the site into a respectable and artistic ossuary.

[00:12:01] Bones were arranged decoratively, forming intricate patterns like walls of skulls and femurs. Great. Yeah. Plaques... Go on. You don't see many pelvises down there? No, I can't imagine you do. Can't say for sure until I go, but... So, plaques with poetic and philosophical... Philosophical. Hey? Philosophical.

[00:12:28] Philosophical inscriptions were added, emphasising morality and the passage of time. So, we're on to exploring the catacombs. What's inside? So, the... So, number one. The official tourist route. 1.5km open to the public. Is it still open now? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

[00:12:52] So, the public section of the catacombs is 1.5km long and reaches a depth of about 20m, 65ft, below ground. Some key features include... The entrance located at 1 Avenue de Colónel Henry Rol Tengay. How about that? I don't even know. Near Denfert Rocheroo Station. We've got to give all these a go. That's one of them.

[00:13:20] The Port Mahon Corridor. Nah, that's good. I don't care. That's a good one. The Port Mahon Corridor features a detailed stone carving of the Port Mahon Fortress, carved by a former quarry worker. The Barrel of Passion, a carefully stacked column of skulls and bones, and the Stop This Is Death sign. An ominous warning at the entrance of the ossuary, marking the transition into the Chamber of Boom.

[00:13:50] Now we get on to the good stuff. So, the Forbidden Sections. Over 200km of tunnels. So, with tourists... Sorry. While tourists can only access a small portion, the true size of the catacombs extends over 200km, or 125 miles, of hidden tunnels, rooms, and flooded corridors.

[00:14:12] These off-limit areas are explored by urban explorers, or cataphiles, who illegally enter through secret entrances in sewers, metro stations, or private basements. Some... And both basements again. There you go. I love a basement. That's how Liam's getting in there. Some areas include underground lakes, hidden bunkers, and ancient graffiti dating back centuries.

[00:14:40] So, notable events and secrets of the catacombs. So, number one. The secret resistance base. 1940s. I don't know about this one. So, during World War II, the French resistance used the catacombs to move secretly beneath Nazi-occupied Paris. Meanwhile, German forces also build a bunker inside the tunnels near the Lake... I believe it's pronounced Lake, or Leachie. L-Y-C-E-E. How about that?

[00:15:10] Montague School. To this day, hidden war relics can still be found deep in the tunnels. Then, number two. The mysterious 2004 cinema discovery. Cinema discovery? Cinema discovery. You heard it right there, yes. Right, I'm intrigued. In 2004, Paris police discovered a fully equipped underground movie theatre deep inside the catacombs. What? Yes.

[00:15:34] So, the secret theatre had electricity, a bar, a screening room, and even a PA system playing barking dog sounds to scare off intruders. Have you got pictures of this? I want to see this. I haven't, but I'm sure you can get them, mate. A note was found reading, Do not try to find us. It was later linked to an underground art society known as La Mexicana de Perfor... Hang on. De Perforation.

[00:16:03] That's what I'm going to go with. I'm comfortable with that. I'm going to give you a minute to have a look at that. Oh, fucking Christ, that is well. Jesus. Let's have a look. Watch at that. Watching a movie surrounded by corpses. Well, skeletons. Good place for a horror movie, that, innit? Oh, Christ, that. Good place to watch As Above, So Below. Well, yeah. No, because that would fuck you up. That's like going on a fucking... That's like doing what I did.

[00:16:31] I went on holiday, and the night before it, I watched Sully. Oh, yeah. No. Stupid idea. Yeah, it's like going on a cruise and watching Titanic beforehand. Exactly. Yeah. Mental thing, right? Just quickly. So, when I went on holiday, obviously, you've seen... I'm surprised if you've seen Sully, Tom Hanks. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Obviously, the birds flying. Yes. So, we're fucking tear arsing it down the fucking runway at fucking whatever, 100 mile an hour. And then fucking pilots slam the fucking brakes on everyone. Everyone's fucking all over the fucking shop. Jesus Christ. So, he does a fucking U-turn. Goes back around, does it again. Takes off fine.

[00:17:01] Then, obviously, once we get to fucking... What is it? Cruising altitude or whatever. Yeah, yeah. He comes over the fucking thing in a hall. Oh, this is your fucking captain. I'm going to daff it over the mic, yeah. Well, that's what they sound like. Yeah, yeah. And he says, oh, if anyone was wondering what was happening, he says, as I got to the end of the runway, a lot of birds flew up. Shit. I was like, land this fucking plane now. Yeah, yeah, I'm getting off. I've caused me own camera here. Not camera. Chances are that, though? Yeah, that's fucked. That's terrifying. Stupid idea.

[00:17:29] I honestly would really, really cry to get out of that fucking plane at that point. I'll be like, I'll see my own face. I was going to Benidorm, though, so I was excited. Yeah, fair enough. Oh, was that that recent one? Your recent holiday? What, recent one? I've not been on holiday for years. No, no, I went to Slough with Cyprus. Oh, yes, it was. Yes, it was. Sorry. Right, anyway. So, the disappearance of Philibert Aspart. Aspart. Is this the one with the video? Not that one.

[00:17:59] I'm glad you know about that, though. Of course I know about that. It scared the shit out of me. Oh, terrific. So, anyway, we'll get to that. So, this was in 1793. So, one of the most famous legends involves Philibert Aspart, a man who got lost in the tunnels in 1793. One of many, as I'm sure, and there's probably hundreds more that have disappeared down there and are still lost. Obviously dead, but lost.

[00:18:24] He was a doorkeeper at a hospital and supposedly entered the tunnels through an unknown passage. His body was found 11 years later, identified by his hospital key ring. Today, visitors can see his grave marker deep inside the ossuary. Crazy that, isn't it? That is weird. Mm-hmm. Mental stuff. So, is he like the first really known one that went missing down there? Yes. Yeah.

[00:18:53] So, and it was, no one knew where he went. He just vanished from the hospital. Right. And was never seen again for 11 years until I found a corpse within the catacombs. I'll put this delicately. Was it a medical hospital? Hospital or a... That's actually a good question. He was a doorkeeper at a hospital, so... Oh, so he was working there then? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, right. I thought he meant he was a patient because I was going to say if it was like... Oh, no, no, no. If it was like, you know, a mentally ill hospital and that might definitely be a bit more... Yeah.

[00:19:23] ...of an explanation there maybe. Yes. No, no, no. He was a doorkeeper at a hospital, so he worked at the hospital. Right, fair enough. And it was his key... Obviously back in them tired days they couldn't identify him from DNA or anything, so it was a key ring that he had on him and realised, oh shit, that's where he went. And he was only at what's now called the... Sorry, the Osser area as well in the catacombs, which... Now with the amount of exploration we have down there now isn't really that far down. No, no.

[00:19:49] But you'd imagine it would be that easy to get lost there if no one's ever seen any videos or anything on the catacombs. Well, I think that's one of the reasons why there's only so much of it actually opened. Oh, yeah. Oh, 100%. Because you're going to get fucking lost. Absolutely, absolutely. Now you can go on YouTube and I've watched hundreds of videos of people going into the catacombs. The illegal way, the correct way, but the illegal ways are more fun to watch because you see those parts that are not explored. Exactly.

[00:20:15] So, and they always have these guides and these people go down there day in, day out trying to map each bit, each section, bit by bit. And you think there was this group that had done it for 20 years and they'd only done, I think it was 50 miles worth. Yeah. And you think it was 125 miles long. So, it's just, it's crazy to watch. It's like the knackered bits of the Great Wall of China, isn't it? I'd rather go say them bits. What, then the catacombs? No, I mean, you know what I mean? Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Because they're older, aren't they? They've got more history kind of thing. And they're not restored.

[00:20:44] Exactly. Yeah. I do love, though, the fact that like that just ends about 10 yards into the sea. Yeah. The tide's out, you can walk around it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But back then, the tide would have come a lot further in. You don't knew what you'd have thought anyway. No, I wouldn't have done. Really? Do you reckon? Well, yeah, sea levels are rising now, mate. True. True. Yeah, true. But when you're thinking like, you know. I guess you can get a freaking pedal around the bastard. You can probably swim around it.

[00:21:14] Yeah, potentially. So anyway, modern day catacombs, exploration and urban legends. So number one, the illegal explorers or the cat files. Don't like that word. No, I don't. It's very close to that word. Sounds like someone who shacks cats. And be rage cats. For sake.

[00:21:36] Anyway, despite strict laws, urban explorers known as cat files illegally roam the deeper sections. This gets fucked, by the way. What does the cats? Oh, great. So the city has, get on this one, undercover police squads, less cataphilics, that patrol the tunnels to catch trespassers. That's crazy. They have police that just roam the tunnels to try and catch people.

[00:22:03] Just think like, they're only doing the bits that are known, though. Right. This is what we need listeners to do. We need a better word. Yeah. Yeah. Better word than cataphiles. I'm not comfortable with saying it. No. No. Because like I say, it just sounds like someone who does things they shouldn't to cats. Yeah. Yeah. It does. It does in all fairness. It might just be our brains, but yeah. Or the catacombers. Why can't they call them that? You know what I mean? Now we're going to say it sounds like the combing cats.

[00:22:37] Cat brush. Right. Anyway. So get on this one. So underground parties and secret gatherings. So I know you ate it. You've just got to deal with it. Right. All right. Cataphiles have held raves, art exhibitions, and even dinner parties in the forbidden tunnels. Not brothels, Liam. Some rooms are decorated with murals, sculptures, and eerie messages left by previous explorers. Oh, that raves and what?

[00:23:05] So raves, art exhibitions. That's stupid. Oh, exhibits. I don't like that. No, I don't. And dinner parties. Raves. Sound. Imagine taking mushrooms down there. Fuck me, man. The things you'd see. Fuck that. Jesus Christ. God damn it. You'd probably see him, yeah. Yeah, you probably wouldn't, man. Or the other one. That's certain. Right. So some rooms are decorated with murals, sculptures, and eerie messages left by previous explorers.

[00:23:35] So paranormal legends and horror stories. Here we go. So many claim to hear whispers or see shadowy figures moving in the tunnels. I mean, that's a given. Like, that's always going to be a thing. Yeah, because you're in a tunnel, it's weird. And there's that much history there. Yeah. Some believe the spirits of the dead still roam, especially at night. Again, that's just a given. In 2010, a video was found showing a man lost and panicked in the deeper parts of the tunnels,

[00:24:05] similar to the Blair Witch Project. So anyway, that's kind of all it gives me there. I've done a little bit further down. But essentially, there was this guy in the 90s, took the camera down, went to the really deep sections, completely unexplored at least by professionals and things. And you can hear as you're watching the video, you can find this video on YouTube as well, guys. The guy that found the camera did a documentary on it.

[00:24:31] And we don't know why, but he starts, I mean, you'd imagine it's probably because he's realizing he's lost. Freaks out, doesn't he? Yeah, he completely freaks out. His breathing gets heavier and heavier. He starts running from something. The odd thing is that he doesn't turn his camera around once. He doesn't look behind. Well, we're looking at it from a camera perspective, so we don't know if he's actually turning around and checking behind him. But you never get to find out what was he running from, why did he start that? Did he just lose his mind a little bit because he was lost or what have you?

[00:25:01] It's just strange. A bit of cabin fever. Yeah, maybe. But you'd think, you'd hope he had some exploration behind him before. And the number one thing is, especially in cave systems and explorations of tunnels like this, you do not panic. That is like rule number one. It's easier said than done. Absolutely easier said. I'm not sitting here saying I could do it. If I had a guide, then yeah, I probably could. But yeah, if I'm on my own, then different scenario, which he was.

[00:25:26] Anyway, he drops his camera and you could just hear him sort of running off into the distance. His camera was then found 30 years later in 2010. And that's where we get the documentary and the story, the video. So was he ever found or his body ever found or anything? Nope, never been found. That's weird. I mean, I know it could very easily get lost down there. Yeah. But. Well, this is the thing. What happened? Where did he go? Now then, I watched a video last night. I'm going to have to get this before the end of the video.

[00:25:54] In fact, do you mind if I just get this YouTube channel up just to. Yeah, I do actually. Yeah. Oh, you do mind? No. Sorry, mate. No, I thought you said. Like I do. As in. Yeah, I know what I mean. Right. So I watched a video last night, which is what actually inspired me to do an episode on this. I'm always watching stuff on the catacombs. And it was by a YouTuber called Daratar. Brilliant YouTuber.

[00:26:24] Explores places where we either wouldn't go or couldn't go, essentially. And he gets these guides to take him down into the catacombs. And his whole plan is to find where this guy disappeared. Right. Get back to that spot. And the only way to do it was, obviously, with the help of the guides. And sort of matching up the graffiti on the walls on the video and getting to that point where he drops the camera. Trying to figure out where he goes from there. Anyway, as they get to the very deep sections and the guides are like, right, this is unexplored.

[00:26:54] We didn't even know this was here. They do match up from the video as much as they can up until that point. And they get to a corner where the guides are sort of panicking. They're telling the other guys, get the cameras down, get the cameras down. There's a lot of people that live down there that don't like foreigners. And it's known that you will be attacked. People live down there. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Watch some of the YouTube videos, mate. Watch this video in particular. You'll see. Send me that. I'm going to put it in the episode description. Definitely. Definitely.

[00:27:23] It's a brilliant video as well. Anyway, yeah. So the guides start. You can see the panic on their faces. In the video. And they just start running. They just start saying, we need to go. Go now. Go, go, go. And then they all panic. So they're all running. The guides sort of lose traction of where they are a little bit. They do manage to find their way out. And then they sort of take a minute to calm down. Explain that these guys, they've heard stories about them. They've never seen them before. But they've heard horrific stories.

[00:27:51] These are really fucked up people. It's like a group, essentially, that are down there. And it wasn't far from where that guy lost his camera. They believe that they were pretty close to where he would have been at that time. 30. But again, bear in mind, this was 30 years ago. So, well, at this point, this video is only a year old. So it would have been 40 years ago because the camera was found in 2010. So there's a lot of people that believe that these groups are doing rituals and human sacrifices and things like that. The fuck?

[00:28:21] Yeah, it's crazy. And the police don't ever go down that section. Ever. I think they fucking need to. Absolutely. Well, again, without causing any sort of... I don't want to insult anyone here, but it's the French police. Right, and? They struggle over the years with certain things. They just won't do, essentially. Fair enough. Fair enough for you. You won't know more than I do. It's only because I follow up on a lot of terror attacks and things like that. Oh, right. Fair enough. A lot of them are in France. Right.

[00:28:49] Anyway, so that's the story of that. Liam will leave a link to that video. I can't recommend enough. Go watch it because it's terrifying. And it's a shame for them because every video they follow up on what they say they're going to do. Yeah. And it's that dangerous. They just don't go back. You can't blame them for it. Fair enough. Anyway. Conclusion. The catacombs place in Persian culture. Or Parisian culture, should I say? Parisian. Parisian. Thank you.

[00:29:19] Persian. More cats. More cats. So the Paris catacombs are a haunting blend of history, art and mystery. What started as a solution to cemetery overcrowding has become a legendary underground labyrinth. They continue to inspire films, books, horror stories and real life adventures.

[00:29:40] Whether visiting the official section or hearing tales from the forbidden depths, the catacombs remain one of Paris's most fascinating and eerie attractions. So yeah. So yeah. I have done a little extra. I don't know what time are we on, Liam. Am I still alright? Am I still alright? Yeah. You've got to. Yeah. So. This is a bit about the strange people and groups in the catacombs. So number one, obviously we know about the cataphiles. We've covered that.

[00:30:07] But there's more behind the cataphiles. They're not just people who go down there and explore. Some of the people that live there are things as well. So obviously cataphiles are urban explorers who illegally enter and navigate the deeper forbidden sections of the catacombs. They use hidden entrances in sewers, metro stations and even private buildings to access the tunnels. Many map and document the tunnels while others treat them as a second home or gathering place.

[00:30:32] Some groups live in the tunnels for days or weeks surviving with supplies that they bring down. A few leave markings or coded messages on walls to guide other explorers. So why do they go down there? Adventure and mystery. The forbidden tunnels offer the thrill of the unknown. Secret meetings. Some cataphiles hold parties, dinners and art exhibitions on the ground, which we've covered. Rebellion against authority.

[00:30:59] Many cataphiles see themselves as defying the government restrictions and preserving underground history and spiritual or personal journeys. Some claim the catacombs offer solitude, self-discovery or even a connection to the dead, which is quite scary. Yeah. So this is this is the main one here. The underground cults and ritualists. This is the fucked up one.

[00:31:22] So there have been disturbing reports of people practicing strange rituals deep in the tunnels. Occult rituals and black magic. Some explorers have stumbled upon candles, altars and symbols associated with the occult. Again, you can find these guys finding these places, areas on YouTube. There are rumors of human sacrifices or dark rituals, though no solid proof to this day currently exists, which is a given because they haven't been arrested.

[00:31:53] Exactly. If they found that, these guys wouldn't exist anymore. You know what I mean? Some cataphiles claim to have seen hooded figures chanting or carrying out strange ceremonies. In some areas, bones have been rearranged in patterns resembling occult sigils. Is that correct? Sigils? I believe it's sigils. Secret societies. Secret societies.

[00:32:16] Some believe that secret societies like the Freemasons or other ancient orders use the catacombs for initiations and meetings. Reports suggest that certain tunnels have been modified into hidden chambers with symbols etched into the walls. So, yeah. There's a lot more stuff. There's stories of ghosts. There's so many things you can get into with the catacombs.

[00:32:41] It's just sort of an endless history spanning over Roman times, essentially. So, it's the fact that people live down there that f's me over. The occultists. Yeah, that's the fucking weirdest bit. Yeah. Like I said, I didn't even know about that. So, that is fucking really fucking bizarre. Please do watch that video. I will. It's only a nine-minute video. Yeah, yeah. So, you know, it's broke down and you see the best bits. It's really good. But when they...

[00:33:08] The first sign of life that they come into is just a guy that's living there. You can see he's got his sleeping bag as if he's a homeless guy, essentially. Just that. And then as they get deeper and deeper and deeper and then the explorers are like, right, this is the purpose we've been. Didn't even know this is here. Go down a certain pathway and what have you. The total time I think they spent down there was seven hours travelling. Fucking hell. Yeah. It's blinding when you come out. Oh, I imagine.

[00:33:35] And, yeah, then they get to that point where they run into a group of people and you see the panic in the faces and the way that they just sort of run from that situation after making so much effort and that much travel time to try and figure out where this guy's camera went and forced to leave. Well, like I said, send me it and I'll definitely watch it. Yeah, absolutely. I'll leave the link for it in the show description. Yes. Anything I want to listen as well and go and watch. Yes. Is that all done there then, mate? Yeah, so that's everything.

[00:34:05] What are your thoughts on that then, mate? Well, fucking bizarre for a start. And like I say, I learnt a lot. I learnt a fucking lot more than I thought there was going on down there, to be fair. That's what I mean. So when people say the catacombs, the first thing that comes to mind is tunnels with bones in. And that's about it, really. Obviously, the history of the Black Death and what have you. And then the video. A lot of people do know about the video. The guy that went missing. But no one knows about these guys that are living there. The ritualists and all of this shit. Exactly. The more you watch on YouTube, there's that many videos out there. And it's quite scary.

[00:34:33] And the risks that some people take escaping the police to get down there. Yeah, yeah. Because it's heavily patrolled. It's not easy to get in there, into the forbidden sections anyway. But yeah, it's somewhere I really want to go, mate. Really want to go. And it's only across the water. Right there, Mitch. We'll leave it there. Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. So thanks for watching, guys. As I say, this is my first... Listening. Thanks for listening, guys. This is my first, my own episode for nearly a month now.

[00:35:03] And I hope it went well. I hope I wasn't too rusty. But yeah, that's been the Paris Catacombs. It's been Liam and Billy. Go follow all of our socials, which you can find through our Instagram. And don't shag cats. And don't shag cats. Don't be a catophile. Right, guys. We shall speak to you next time. Billy, see you, line red. Take care.

[00:35:31] This podcast is part of Podomity. The UK's podcast comedy network. Why not laugh at what else we've got? Visit Podomity.com.