During a recent stroll through the Pere-Lachaise cemetery in Paris, I took a photo of this tomb that has what looks like a woman's arms sticking out of the top, with clasped hands.Carved in stone at the end of the tomb is "Famille P. Legay," which implies that this is a family tomb and that there may be more than one person buried underneath it. However, if this is the case, individual names are usually added when they are interred, but no other names were on the tomb.
So, after hours of research, I found out that a French soldier named Pierre-Alexis-Victor Legay D'Arcy is buried there. He was born 3/13/1772 in Cote-d'or, Dijon. I don't know how, where or when he died. But I did find a reference that says he was a French officer of the main staff who appeared in early December in Warsaw in the year 1806 as chief of a squadron of the Warsaw Division of the French Army, during the Greater Poland Uprising.
But who, pray tell, is the woman? And why is she stuck for all eternity, with her arms up in the air? Won't they get a little tired?
Also, don't miss the video I took on the same day, of the skeleton that was talking to me through my camera lens.
7 comments:
I have always been fascinated with cemeteries, OMyWord! This is a great post primarily because of the wonderful virtual tour option of the cemetery. I will spend an hour or so walking through that.
I see a pair of arms struggling to keep back the fetid corpse beneath from rising to purge the world of humanity. To each their own. ;)
Thanks Tony! I really like that Pere Lachaise website - they don't have everyone's grave listed there but they've got enough to keep you busy for a while.
And E...are the arms crying out, "Help meeeeeeee! Help meeeeeee!" like in the movie The Fly? Or are they cradling a baby and singing, "Rock-a-bye baby, in the tree top, when the wind blows, the cradle will rock, when the bough breaks, the cradle will fall, and down will come baby, cradle and allllllllllll." Isn't that a comforting song to sing to your baby?
No, that's a horrible and creepy song. That's why I stick to death metal with my little ones. :P
Death metal is the way to go. definately. meanwhile, I'm taking the free Yale DEATH course online. I love the professor already. Join me: http://open.yale.edu/courses/philosophy/death/home.html
Something just occurred to me...you know how when you wake up in the morning you clasp your hands and extend your arms and stretch? This girl is WAKING UP!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9TTtLEeT_08
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