Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir’s tomb, Tomb in Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris, France
The tomb of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir is a flat, modest grave slab located in Division 20 of Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris. Their names and dates are carved directly into the stone, with no surrounding structure or decorative elements.
Sartre was buried here in 1980, and around fifty thousand people attended his funeral, one of the largest public farewells seen in Paris for a thinker. De Beauvoir died in 1987 and was laid to rest beside him, the two sharing the same stone.
Visitors often leave flowers, handwritten notes, or lipstick kisses on the stone, a spontaneous habit that has built up over the decades. This makes the grave feel less like a monument and more like an ongoing conversation with two thinkers who still matter to many people.
The grave is in Division 20 of Montparnasse Cemetery, and a map available at the cemetery entrance makes it easy to find among the many paths and sections. The cemetery is accessible on foot from several central Paris neighborhoods and is open most days of the year.
The original grave marker placed after Sartre's burial in 1980 was stolen shortly afterward. According to an unconfirmed story, a Colombian poet named Arnulfo Valencia is said to have taken it and broken it into four pieces, which he reportedly kept until his death.
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