Cataphile

on there? The cataphiles, yeah.

The cataphiles.

Cataphiles, and they actually have their own police force called the catacops because it is illegal to go in there, obviously, without a tour guide.

I want to be a catacop.

A catacop sounds great, doesn't it? And it's not just the sort of ossuary, although there are lots of parts of the ossuary, the catacombs, that are not on the public tour anymore anymore.

There have been documented crimes committed in the catacombs as well.

Cataphiles say muggings underground happen more often than you'd think.

The robbers probably know that they can get away with it because there are very few witnesses around.

Some cataphiles have even set up illegal businesses down there, ones that are, let's just say, really hard to find, unless you know exactly where to look.

because, upon some further research, it's easy to see that the catacombs may not be what they appear.

Cataphiles, enthusiasts who explore the off-limits parts of the Paris Underground, have managed to turn these abandoned subterranean halls into lively spaces, modifying the galleries into makeshift gathering spots, and painting graffiti art and cool murals on the walls.

They're known to have built bars, living rooms, even an underground cinema.

All these spaces allow them to express their creativity and generally chill out underground, where there's peace and quiet away from all the hustle and bustle.

Major Sylvie Gautron, who heads the police unit responsible for patrolling the underground network, stated to the Times that such a scenario was totally false.

While cataphiles are known to enter the off-limits quarries illegally to explore, paint, or host gatherings, the idea of them attacking tourists was dismissed as an exaggeration.

Cataphiles themselves were unhappy about this portrayal as well.

In their responses online, the consensus has been that such viral stories misrepresent their culture and paint them as dangerous, when in reality, their priority is avoiding exposure.