Cemetery of L'Île-Saint-Denis, Cemetery in L'Île-Saint-Denis, France

Cimetière de L'Île-Saint-Denis is a burial ground on a small island in the Seine near Paris. It has simple paths, spaced-apart graves, and few large monuments, with modest tombstones often bearing familiar local family names.

The commune bought the land for the current cemetery in 1846, authorised by royal ordinance of 25 May 1847, and the first burial took place on 9 February 1848. During the Franco-German War of 1870 French troops turned it into an entrenched camp, cutting loopholes in its walls to defend the bridge to Gennevilliers. It was enlarged in 1893 to its present size.

Local habits include leaving flowers on graves and cleaning family plots, especially on anniversaries or memory days. Small ceremonies sometimes take place here, and the site remains part of the daily fabric of the island community.

The cemetery is open during the day and is easy to reach on foot or by bicycle from nearby streets. It has simple paths and a few benches where you can sit, but there is little signage, so visitors should move quietly and use their own sense of direction.

Two films were shot here: Arsène Lupin contre Arsène Lupin by Édouard Molinaro in 1962, and in 1967 the opening scene of Le Pacha, where Jean Gabin as commissioner Joss attends inspector Gouvion's burial, with a pan across the neighbouring Cité Maurice-Thorez and the high-voltage lines above it.