Wild Lives Among The Graves

Send us Fan MailA million stories rest under the trees of Père Lachaise, and some of them still move. We sit down with curator and author-photographer Benoît Galliot to walk the avenues of Paris’s most visited cemetery and discover why it feels so alive. From neo-gothic chapels and art nouveau tombs to foxes raising kits among ivy, this tour blends cultural history with urban ecology in a way that surprises and soothes.Benoît opens the gate on a distinctly French approach to burial: time-bound concessions that allow families to share space across generations and, when abandoned, make room for new remembrance. He explains how careful reclamation keeps the cemetery from becoming a frozen museum and why that policy matters in a dense city. Along the way, we talk about the book that sparked this conversation—full of tender photos of foxes, birds, and statuary—and the unexpected comfort wildlife brings to grieving families.We also meet the man behind the name: Père La Chaise, a Jesuit confessor to Louis XIV, whose association with the land shaped its identity long before 1804. Benoît shares his own path from a family of stonemasons to law to public service, eventually becoming curator and living on site with his children. No ghosts here—just quiet nights, the rustle of wings, and a renewed sense that memory can coexist with growth. Come for the legends of Chopin, Oscar Wilde, and Jim Morrison; stay for the everyday life that makes this place breathe.If this journey moved you, follow and review the show, share it with a friend planning a trip to Paris, and subscribe so you never miss our next conversation.   Follow Me at https://www.bookclues.comYou can find Benoit Gallot and the picture of Pere laChaise cemetary at Instagram @la_vie_au_cimitiere