To an American, spending an afternoon in a cemetery reeks of the macabre. To a Parisian, though, it's another cultural option. Cemeteries there are filled not only with the graves of the famous, but also with beautiful landscaping and outstanding memorial sculpture. Residents of the city have even been known to picnic among the haunting acres of Pere Lachaise Cemetery.

But it is the much smaller Montparnasse in the 14^th arrondisment that is most seductive. It is divided into two sections, the old and the new, covering 45 acres of three former farms. Because of its location, it evolved into the final resting place for both artists and the bourgeoisie.

From the fanciful abstract bird made of glass and wire that rises above a crowded section of graves, to the solid and weighty grieving figure of the artist Henri Lauren, all types of sculpture are included here. The grave of the poet Baudelaire, for example, is haunting with its gargoyle figure resting on a pedestal contemplating death in the form of a wrapped figure below — the form of his own mother, who shares the grave, perhaps. The most heartbreaking monument in the cemetery is called "Separation of a Couple". In it, the figure of a woman strains to rise from her grave to comfort her lover who stands above her, face in hands, mourning her.

In the "old" section of the cemetery across the Rue Emile Richard, a lovely edition of Bracusi's statue, "The Kiss" marks the grave of Tania Rachevski, a suicide. Its sparse lines and aching union of two lovers is especially poignant in this setting, where the sun sets and snow gathers on it in winter.

Along the far side of this area of Montparnasse, the grave of Julio Ruelas is marked by the figure of a woman draped over a high rock. Her arms are outstretched; her hair flows like tears. Is she dead, or only mourning the occupant of the grave below her?

But not all graves are somber. A few yards away from "The Kiss" stands the humorous grave of the Pigeons, an inventor and his wife. It consists of a massive bronze bed in which Mrs. Pigeon lies soundly asleep while Charles, ever vigilant, watches passersby while propped up on his arm. Both of them are fully clothed, as all good middle class citizens should be, even in death. An angel stands atop the headboard guarding both of the old souls.

Click here to read David Emanuel's feature on the Montparnasse Cemetery.

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This article is republished with the authorization of Paris Eiffel Tower News - a great guide for a Paris vacation. Copyright (c) 2004 Paris Eiffel Tower News - All rights reserved.