Père Lachaise Cemetery is the largest in Paris at around 45 hectares. It is named after the confessor of Louis XIV who lived on the site in the 17th century. The cemetery was opened in 1804 on the direction of Napolean who stated that every citizen had an equal right to a burial.
Since its opening, it is estimated that around 1,000,000 burials and cremations have taken place at the site. Hundreds of thousands of others' remains lie benath the impressive Aux Morts (‘to the Dead’) ossuary. Numerous mausoleums and elaborate graves populate the cemetery and a large partially underground columbarium has room for around 40,000 cremation urns. Famous burials on the site include Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Rossini, Edith Piaf, Marcel Proust and Chopin.