City Hall promises a solution “before All Saints’ Day,” without specifying which year.
In the meantime, the coffins wait their turn; the living, for their part, line up to complain.
At Saint-Macabre Cemetery, the last burial plot was allocated Tuesday morning, after a tender process that bereaved families described as “particularly lively.” Since then, the newly deceased are kept in a municipal waiting room, between the out-of-order vending machine and the complaint forms.
“At least here, no one asks if we made an appointment,” sighed a relative, in front of a row of folding chairs. City Hall notes that the remains will be processed “in order of arrival,” a rule considered reassuring by everyone—except by those who arrive first.
An expansion project is under review, but it requires a public inquiry, three signatures, and the consent of the neighboring plot. The latter belongs to a family who, according to the land registry, hasn’t shown any sign of life since 1897.
In the meantime, residents are asked to remain calm and reserve their spot in advance. “We don’t always get to choose when we go,” acknowledged the cemetery manager. “But apparently, we can choose not to have a place.”
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