Passy Cemetery, Parisian cemetery in 16th arrondissement, France
Passy Cemetery is a small burial ground in the Muette quarter of the 16th arrondissement, entered only through 2 rue du Commandant-Schloesing. Its 2,500 graves lie among 290 trees of 15 species, mainly chestnuts, on about 1.74 hectares. The monumental Art Deco entrance by René-Félix Berger dates from 1931–1936, and the painter Marie Bashkirtseff's funeral chapel rises above the walls at the start of avenue Paul-Doumer.
The cemetery was established in 1820 as part of Napoleon's plan to create new burial grounds beyond the city's center. It replaced an older burial site that had been shut down 18 years earlier.
The cemetery serves as a final resting place for musicians, painters, and writers whose graves visitors can still seek out today. This connection to notable French artists makes the place a quiet testament to Paris's artistic heritage.
Visitors should wear comfortable shoes since the pathways between monuments are best explored on foot. Daytime visits work best, as the grounds are well-lit and graves are easier to locate among the mature trees.
The cemetery's retaining wall carries a bas-relief by Louis Janthial honouring soldiers who fell in World War I. The street outside, rue du Commandant-Schloesing, is named for a Free French RAF pilot killed on the day Paris was liberated in 1944.
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