In 2015, a group of explorers met deep in the catacombs of Paris. They began to form a collective of artists and impresarios that has gone on to host some of the most ambitious art expositions, film festivals, and parties that Paris has yet seen.

The filmmaker was fortunate enough to be in the right place to document this group as it prepared for its first event: the birth of "Microcosme".


Responses to FAQs:

All entrances shown in the video were closed down by the time the video was released.

People do not live in the catacombes full-time. There are cataphiles of pretty much every age, sex, race, orientation, and occupation.

Instances of violence and theft are very rare.

Parties are just one of the many reasons people go below.

Graffiti and where it is acceptable is a widely debated topic among the community, with many differing and passionately held opinions.

No part of the catacombes was designed to be a tomb. The old underground quarries were used as dumping grounds by the government and Catholic church when cemeteries were being emptied.

The catacombes consist of hundreds of kilometers of tunnels in multiple separate networks. Bones are found in only a few small sections. The event was not held near bones.

Bone theft has been a serious problem for over a hundred years, but stealing or intentionally destroying them is strongly condemned by pretty much all cataphiles.

The “soundtrack” is just snippets of what was being listened to at the time. Track names can be found in the comments.

Many popular videos on this subject (e.g. Scariest Places on Earth, As Above So Below, Lupin, TikTok/YT influences) are composed primarily of lies, either due to ignorance or sensationalism. The secretive nature of the topic can make it hard to discern which sources are reliable. Consider whether the source has: A) been there personally, B) a financial incentive to mislead, C) any corroborating photos, documents, or interviews with primary sources.

The french authorities do not close entrances and arrest people because they care about preservation of the place or how explorers spend their time. They do it to avoid emergencies wherein novice explorers injure themselves or get lost and have to be rescued, and simply because it is their job to uphold the law.

I do not delete comments critical of the community, the place, or the video. I do delete homophobia, misogyny, racism, insane conspiracy theories, and disclosure of entrances.

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