Cataphile

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Cataphiles are urban explorers who illegally tour the Paris catacombs.

Cataphiles often descend for a day, a night, or perhaps a week in order to explore, take photos, paint murals, create maps, clean up rooms, dig chatières and enjoy themselves among friends.

Cataphile ethics include leaving no waste behind and never leaving manholes open (which would create a danger for the street-side populace, and thus inspire officials to seal the entrance). Most cataphiles also look down upon tagging, which is a form of graffiti consisting in a stylized signature.

What cataphiles do leave behind, however, are tracts -- pieces of paper featuring drawings, poetry, photos, jokes, or a historical explanation of a certain underground site. Often tracts are hidden in little nooks and crannies; many tracts are detailed works of art, and many cataphiles collect them.

Many people believe that there are also skinheads and black masses in the catacombs, however these rumours are unsubstantiated.