A Visit to Lafayette’s Grave
I first learned about Lafayette’s gravesite in the remarkable book, Portraits of France by Robert Daley. I became determined to visit the site for myself—which was not an easy task.
Getting There
Entrance to Picpus Cemetery with small plaque
Lafayette is buried in a small, little-known cemetery called Picpus. There is a good reason for the obscurity. During the French Revolution when the guillotine was working overtime, the decapitated bodies were spirited away late at night and dumped into two mass graves, meant to be forgotten. However, one night, a family member of a victim followed the cart of corpses and shared the location with family members of other victims. These families secretly purchased the grounds, and today, Picpus is the only active, private cemetery in Paris. To honor its original purpose, only family members of victims are permitted to be buried here.
Finding the cemetery in Paris’s 12th arrondissement is a bit of an adventure even today. Fortunately, I found directions on the internet which instructed me to follow rue de Picpus until I spotted a Renault dealership and then look for the large wooden gate directly across the street. The only signage for the cemetery is the small plaque on the right side of the gate.
The door within the gate was locked when we arrived, and I know my husband was wondering if I had dragged him here for nothing, but then, an older man opened the door and gestured us inside. We paid a fee of two euros each and received a description sheet with a map written in English. Using my best French, I asked, “Ou est Lafayette?” The man answered, “Il est morte.” (he is dead). Just my luck to get a comedian. I struggled to say something about “l’esprit,” and the man took pity on me and gave us quite animated directions, all in French.
Picpus Cemetery
We managed to find our way down a tree-lined path and into an enclosed area that houses the cemetery. It’s a lovely spot that still feels like a secret place, hidden from prying eyes. You may wonder how Lafayette came to be buried here, given the guillotine victim requirement. Tragically, his wife Adrienne lost her sister, mother, and grandmother to the Terror. In fact, Adrienne herself was only spared because of intervention by the American government.
Over 1300 victims are buried here, and one of the saddest stories concerns a group of sixteen Carmelite nuns from the countryside who refused to obey a law that had abolished all religious communities in France. These "Martyrs of Compiegne" were arrested and brought to Paris to be guillotined. They sang hymns as they were brought to the scaffold and continued singing as each sister was led to her death. The Terror ended just days later, and some believe the shock of their executions helped to end the carnage.
Lafayette’s Grave
Lafayette’s grave is located at the very back of the cemetery—easy to spot because of the American flag. During WWI on July 4, 1917, an American colonel named Stanton placed an American flag at the gravesite and uttered the famous phrase "Lafayette, we are here." An American flag has flown over the grave continuously ever since, even during the Nazi occupation when Hitler’s flunkies failed to find this obscure cemetery (even though they tried). Every year on July 4th, the flag is replaced as part of a joint French-American ceremony.
Lafayette loved America so much he brought soil from Bunker Hill back to France, and incredibly, he is buried under that genuine American soil! The site is quite moving with many commemorative plaques from America including one from the Daughters of the American Revolution and even one from Post 217 Easton, PA. I stood there soaking it all in, and yes, I did whisper, “Lafayette, je suis ici.” (I am here.)
May Lafayette rest in peace, knowing America is still here, and we have not forgotten.
Discover More
For more information about visiting Lafayette’s grave:
