Also in the wake of my recent trip to Paris, I will now tell you about a place so famous and fascinating, the cemetery of Père Lachaise, and perhaps a bit of a character 'lesser-known, Victor Noir , whose remains are resting at this cemetery and whose grave has been nurturing over the years a strange legend.
With its 43 hectares of the cemetery of Père Lachaise is the largest in Paris and one of the most visited places in the French capital. The reason is that, since the rest are inside many famous literary and artistic personalities, whose tombs are now real places of pilgrimage. But the Père Lachaise, in addition to the reputation given to him by the famous graves, also retains a charm all its own, dark and mysterious, which is easy to become prey as they walk the long paths that wind among the graves are covered with moss and distinctly gloomy crypts Gothic.
In the seventeenth century the Jesuits bought this old domain, which gave the name of Mont Louis. Built a hospice where he spent his last days one of the most famous members of the Society, the father of Lachaise, confessor of Louis XIV. After
Damiens's attack against Louis XV, the Jesuits were expelled from France, and the buildings of Mont Louis end up in the hands of creditors. Napoleon will regain the 'Graveyard of the East', which became such in 1804, but not a great success. In 1815, to convince Parisians to bury their loved ones the administration of the city began to move illustrious citizens, and the first to be buried and the remains were Molière of Abelard and Heloise (who now have, after many vicissitudes, a beautiful tomb in the Gothic style, which unfortunately was not able to photograph because of the restoration work, although I would love to let you see). Père Lachaise
Today welcomes more than a million graves, posing as one of the most famous cemeteries in the world, undoubtedly one of the most historic and unusual in Paris.
Our visit to Père Lachaise took place Jan. 1: the air was cold, dark and gloomy atmosphere, the tourist flow very scarce. As we walked the long avenues, the cawing of the crows on the gravestones laid almost made me think for a split second, to find me in some bleak Victorian novel.
In fact, this place of death, over the years, went to clothe itself in an aura of mystery which has led to numerous legends, necrophilia, vampirism, prostitution, black masses ...
Tomb Colette
tomb of Jim Morrison
Tomb of Chopin
Tomb Denon
Tomb of Géricault
Tomb of Oscar Wilde
Tomb of Molière
Tomb of Proust
Tomb Modigliani
Victor Noir
The story of this man, little known and probably most unjustly forgotten, is placed during the reign of Napoleon III, and perhaps with good reason , we can say that it caused the fall.
funerary sculpture that adorns his tomb at Pere Lachaise is one of realism, almost bewildering: on a bare slab of stone, the life-size figure of a young man in an elegant eighteenth century house, pour a surprise, the incredible objectivity with which they are treated even the smallest details. An inscription on the stone bears the words: 'A Victor Noir, born July 27, 1848. Killed Jan. 10, 1870. Public subscription '.
Twenty-two years, this age of Victor Noir when he was killed by a bullet in the chest.
Who was Victor Noir? Why to who was murdered?
Victor Noir, aka Yvan Salmon, was a young editor of 'La Marseillaise', a revolutionary paper antibonapartista strongly directed by the deputy of the extreme left of Henri Rochefort.
the origin of the dispute that lead to the tragic murder of Victor Noir, there is a dispute between journalism courses, 'La Revanche', headed by Republican Louis Thomas is the Bonapartist 'L'Avenir de la Corse', in which collaborates Pierre Bonaparte, cousin of Napoleon III. A long series of insults and threats leads to direct confrontation, and since Pierre Bonaparte lived in Paris, Louis Tommasi appeals to the Paris correspondent of 'La Revanche', Pascal Grousset.
few days after being sent by Pascal Grousset two seconds to the home of Pierre Bonaparte. One of them is Victor Noir.
The young man, a simple editor who writes a column that nothing mundane has to do with politics, can not even predict that this will be his last day, and excited to be the bearer of a cartel of defiance to the emperor's cousin, dressing with care and great detail, then demonstrate how sadly his funerary statue.
It so happened, however, that same day Pierre Bonaparte, which had to recognize a violent temper, feeling defamed by an article on 'La Marseillaise', he had sent to the deputy Rochefort a letter of challenge, therefore, when the two sponsors made their entrance at 59 rue d'Auteil, Bonaparte thought were on behalf of Rochefort.
What really happened was never found, given the different testimonies that he gave the present. The only sure thing is that he left a shot of Victor Noir bullet that struck in the chest. The young man barely had time to get to the bottom of the stairs and down the street, where he was rescued by some passers-by, without, however, managed to do something for him.
Victor Noir was dead, murdered at the age of twenty-two years.
Prince Bonaparte was arrested and locked the Conciergierie. There followed a process, whose political repercussions were enormous.
In the classroom, among others, spoke Rochefort:
"A murder was committed yesterday on a young man who was behind a sacred mandate, and that of heads of godfather. The murderess is a member of the imperial family. Ask the Minister of Justice whether it intends to object to the trial and the likely sentence, means delaying tactics such as those applied to citizens affected by other dignitaries of the empire. "
For the emperor, who have long sought a reconciliation with the Left, is a blow.
On January 12, held the funeral of Victor Noir: the crowd is huge, composed mostly by Republicans.
The trial of Pierre Bonaparte ends a week later. The accused was acquitted. But the empire is about to collapse.
Twenty years later, with the advent of the Third Republic, the body of Victor Noir, hero and victim, is moved with all the honors at the Père Lachaise. The memorial, paid for through a public subscription, is entrusted to the sculptor Jules Dalou, famous for its realism.
But we come to the legend.
The pose in which Victor Noir was portrayed by the sculptor Jules Dalou is that of his death, his hands dropped to the sides of the body, rumpled jacket, the cylinder rolled a short distance. The bronze memorial sculpture, made opaque by oxidation occurred over time, however, has three points of instant attraction: the lips, the tip of your shoes, and a very prominent bulge that the sculptor gave him, at the height of ' groin.
The sheen of bronze, these particular points, clearly refers to the thousands of hands, over the years, we have laid. Female hands.
In fact, it seems to visit his tomb, are mostly women.
What intrigued me, and doing some research, I managed to get three different versions of the legend that hovers around the sculpture funeral of Victor Noir. The first
wishes the young man was shot the day before at her wedding, a groom making it very unfortunate, but very well equipped, so that future brides, the day before the wedding, for 'tradition' from traveling to visit him and, in honor of superstition, and rub carezzino that delicate point, which would bring them luck with her future husband. The second myth
on behalf of Victor Noir wants bearer of fertility for women who rubbed his lips, his groin and the tips of his shoes, which is why, a few years ago, the municipality of Paris had decided to put protection around the statue, to prevent their deterioration. But a vast number lives and feel of protests led to almost immediate removal of that barrier.
The third legend, the most romantic, perhaps while taking account of the loss of Victor Noir wedding, said that the girls who quinine to kiss the lips of the statue, having laid some flowers in the hollow cylinder, will receive an offer of marriage the next 365 days.
Personally I had and I have some shame in touching the funerary statue of a man in so intimate places, and not even a future bride.
But a slight kiss on the lips of handsome Victor confess averglielo granted, if only for the compassion I feel for his unfortunate life.
And then, a bit 'lucky in love, do not say never no!
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