Cimetière de La Madeleine d

Updated June 11, 2025

## Cimetière de La Madeleine d’Amiens (474 Rue Saint-Maurice): what it is, why it matters, and how to visit respectfully

Set on Rue Saint-Maurice in Amiens, the Cimetière de La Madeleine is more than a burial ground: it’s a large, landscaped memorial park shaped by public-health reforms, local prosperity, and the city’s literary history. It’s also the resting place of Jules Verne, whose dramatic tomb monument has become one of Amiens’ most recognizable sites. Métropole

### Quick facts (based on reliable, published sources)
– Name: Cimetière de La Madeleine (Amiens)
– Address: 474 Rue Saint-Maurice, 80080 Amiens (as provided)
– Type: Cemetery / landscaped cemetery park Métropole
– Scale: About 18 hectares (large enough to feel like a park walk rather than a “quick stop”) Métropole
– Heritage status: The cemetery is classified as a “Monument historique” (listed historic monument), with the classification dated 10 May 1995 on the City of Amiens archives page. Métropole

> Outdated-data flag: I’m deliberately not listing opening hours here because I did not find them on the City of Amiens pages we can reliably access in this session (some tourism pages are blocked). Hours often change seasonally and around public holidays—double-check via official city/tourism channels before you go.

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## A cemetery created by public health—and designed as a park
La Madeleine’s story starts with an 18th-century shift in how French cities managed burial. The City of Amiens archives page notes that in 1776, an ordinance associated with Louis XVI required cemeteries to be moved outside city gates for hygiene reasons and to limit epidemic spread. Métropole

For Amiens, an older “maladrerie” (a place where people with contagious diseases were treated outside the city) known as “La Madeleine,” in the Saint-Maurice area, was chosen as the site. Métropole

What’s unusually visitor-friendly is that the cemetery was laid out explicitly as a landscaped space. According to the same archives source, the architect François-Auguste Cheussey and a gardener named Fontaine developed it as an 18-hectare, wooded, rolling “English-style” garden—curving paths and green perspectives rather than strict symmetry. The cemetery was put into service on 13 July 1817. Métropole

That design choice changes how you experience the place today: it reads as a quiet, tree-filled walking circuit punctuated by family mausoleums, memorial sculpture, and historical names.

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## What to look for as you walk
### 1) The landscape itself (not just the headstones)
Because the cemetery was conceived as a park, the “best” visit isn’t a checklist. It’s letting the layout guide you: follow the winding lanes, pause where the terrain opens, and treat the monuments like chapters rather than destinations. The City of Amiens explicitly describes it as a wooded, pleasant place that also became frequented by walkers looking for a nearby stroll. Métropole

### 2) Mausoleums of Amiens’ notable families
After opening in 1817, La Madeleine quickly became the cemetery of Amiens’ prominent families, who built substantial mausoleums—an architectural snapshot of local wealth and civic identity. Métropole

### 3) A cemetery with multiple religious traditions
The French Wikipedia entry records the cemetery as serving Catholic and Protestant traditions. That matters as a visitor: you’ll see different iconography and memorial styles, and it’s a reminder that “heritage” here isn’t one story—it’s layered.

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## Jules Verne’s tomb: why it’s famous (and what you’re actually seeing)
Jules Verne is the headline name at La Madeleine, and Amiens Métropole’s own “Aronnax” page (aptly titled) explains why the tomb stands out.

– Verne died 24 March 1905 and was buried 28 March 1905 in the cemetery. Métropole
– The tomb’s dramatic sculpture was designed by Albert Roze and is titled “Vers l’immortalité et l’éternelle jeunesse” (“Towards Immortality and Eternal Youth”), depicting a figure emerging upward from the grave. Métropole
– The Amiens Métropole page also notes the monument’s architectural framing (pediment/columns) and states that this tomb has been listed as a Historical Monument since 1995. Métropole

### One practical detail most visitors miss
Amiens Métropole notes the tomb is covered with a winter protective cover from November to March (“houssage hivernal”) to protect the marble from freeze-thaw cycles and biological staining. If you visit in winter, you may not see the sculpture “fully” the way photos show it. Métropole

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## Other notable burials you may encounter
The City of Amiens archives page lists several other figures interred here, including Frédéric Petit, Jules Barni, and members of the Duthoit family, among others. Métropole
(If you’re doing a deeper historical walk, the cemetery’s appeal is often in these second-tier civic names—architects, scientists, politicians—who explain how Amiens developed beyond its cathedral story.)

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## How to visit well (and respectfully)
A cemetery visit works best when you treat it as a shared, active place of mourning—not a museum set.

– Keep voices low and avoid stepping onto grave borders (many family plots are edged or fenced).
– Photography: If you take photos, avoid close-ups of recent graves or identifiable mourners; prioritize architecture, wide lanes, and older memorial sculpture.
– Time your visit: Late morning or late afternoon tends to feel calmer and gives better light on stonework (without turning the visit into a “shoot”).
– Seasonal expectations: If your main goal is the Verne monument, plan outside the winter cover window. Métropole

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## Suggested contextual internal links (add these if they exist on your site)
– Amiens travel guide (site search link so it won’t 404)
– Best things to do in Amiens (same idea)

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## Why La Madeleine is worth your time in Amiens
If you’re already in Amiens for the cathedral or the Somme region, La Madeleine adds something different: a designed landscape, a 19th-century civic memory gallery, and a tangible link to Jules Verne’s afterlife in the city. The strongest visit isn’t rushed—give it the space of a real walk, and it reads like Amiens’ biography carved in stone and trees. Métropole

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