Nicolas Flamel
Along the many cobblestone streets within the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France, lies Rue Nicolas Flamel. Fans of the movie 'As Above So Below' and the 'Harry Potter' franchise have surely heard this name before - but you may not know where the legend of Nicolas Flamel originated. Flamel lived in Paris during the 14th and 15th centuries. After his alleged death, he became known for being an alchemist who was believed to have created or discovered the philosopher's stone, and to have achieved immortality through the stone. The philosopher's stone is said to be capable of turning base metals, such as mercury, into gold or silver, and can be used for healing/rejuvenation and achieving immortality. The legend behind Nicolas Flamel and the philosopher's stone has been propagated in many modern movies.
Fun fact: Rue Nicolas Flamel intersects with Rue Pernelle, which was named after his wife.
As Above So Below
In the horror film 'As Above So Below', the main character Scarlett is on a hunt for the philosopher's stone; clues lead her to end up in Paris, where she uses Nicolas Flamel's tombstone to decipher some of those clues. During his real life, Flamel designed his own tombstone that is currently preserved at the Musee de Cluny in Paris - if you visit, you will see that the tombstone looks nearly identical to the one in the movie! Located at 51 Rue de Montmorency, not far from Rue Nicolas Flamel, you can find one of Flamel's houses. It is the oldest stone house in the city, and the ground floor has been turned into a restaurant that you can dine at! His house, shown below, was also featured in a scene in the beginning of the 'As Above So Below' movie.
The Catacombs
Underneath the streets of Paris lie around 200 miles of tunnels, containing the remains of over six million people. Despite the catacombs being so vast, only a small part (about one mile) is actually open to the public.
By the 17th century, cemeteries in Paris were overflowing with corpses. In 1786, one of Paris's cemeteries, Les Innocents, became flooded due to extensive rainfall, resulting in the walls around it to collapse and corpses to spill out into a surrounding neighborhood. The smell was overwhelming the citizens of Paris; because of this, the city began moving bones and bodies from their cemeteries to the tunnels below, beginning with the corpses in Les Innocents. Bones are stacked from floor to ceiling, some displaying various patterns and are organized by the cemeteries they came from.
It is illegal to explore the catacombs outside the mile that is opened to the public, due to short, narrow, unmarked and flooded passageways. Despite this, rumors are that it doesn't stop some locals or determined travelers from going to explore themselves - there are hidden entrances located all around Paris! Some entrances may be in sewers, the metro, or manholes. Groups of people known as Cataphiles know their way in and around the off-limits catacombs; they explore, decorate the walls with graffiti, create maps, clean up areas, hang out, and often have parties. They will explore for hours, days or even a week. In 2004, police found a complete movie theater with a cinema screen, seats, projector, film reels, a bar and a restaurant in an off-limits area of the catacombs, located underneath the Trocadéro area of Paris. On October 31st, there is a special 'Cata-Halloween' that takes place in the catacombs, where a few hundred people show up to party in the spookiest location there is! There is a special police force that patrols the catacombs three times a week, looking for Cataphiles to arrest and fine. If you are caught you may face up to a sixty euro fine.
The sign pictured below reads, "Stop! This is the empire of the dead", and is located just before you enter the part of the catacombs that contain the bones of the Parisians.
The producers of the movie 'As Above So Below' were able to get permission from the French government to film their movie in the catacombs, mainly in the off-limits areas. If you have seen the movie, I would highly recommend watching some 'behind the scenes' on YouTube - it is extremely interesting to see them filming in there! The notes written on the back of Nicolas Flamel's tombstone in the movie are what lead Scarlett to the Paris catacombs, where deep underground she finds the philosopher's stone.
To explore the catacombs legally, it cost around 27 euros per person which includes an audioguide, and you must book a time slot online in advance on their official website. Please note the catacombs are always closed on Monday's. The address is 1 Avenue du Colonel Henri, Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris, France. It was one of my favorite experiences in Paris and I would highly recommend it!
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Nicolas Flamel and the philosopher's stone, referred to as the sorcerer's stone in this movie, make an appearance in the 'Harry Potter' franchise. In the movies, Nicolas Flamel was a wizard and alchemist who created the stone for him and his wife to have eternal life. Flamel was a good friend of Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, so when he was asked by Flamel to protect the philosopher's stone he agreed. Because of the stones properties of rejuvenation and immortality, it took the interest of Lord Voldemort. In order to regenerate his body, Voldemort, using the body of a professor, went to Hogwarts and attempted to steal the stone. Harry Potter was able to protect the stone and return it to Dumbledore; Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel soon after decided it was best to destroy the stone, despite that meaning Flamel and his wife would soon die. Flamel and his wife had used the Elixir of Life, created from the stone, to live for over six hundred years and were therefore perfectly okay with their time coming to an end.
