Back to Jane for a moment.

During my recent trip to Paris I visited Pere Lachaise Cemetery to pay my respects to the great and good of Paris and in Particular Jane Avril. 

I have visited Jane on many occasions and had been somewhat concerned about the state of her gravestone/site for some time which seemed to be suffering more with the passing of the years due to the elements. 

I actually wrote an email to the Pere Lachaise Office some months ago and provided some detailed photos of the decay and condition. 

I was met with silence.... "Oh well, one tried!" 

So imagine my shock when I saw her gravesite during this my latest visit. (see above) What did this mean? I was concerned to say the least. 

I contacted my friend Maria from Sweden (also a great Jane Avril admirer) who in turn contacted her friend who had contacts at Pere Lachaise. This friend said that she had never seen the heavy wood and security on a grave before and she had been to the Paris cemeteries on many occasions. 

This wasn't reassuring!

Well, the following day we discovered that restoration work would be taking place and that it would take about a month to complete. 

As a notable French historical figure her grave is a protected site and as such will be looked after and maintained.

Now, I'm not suggesting for a moment that my email was responsible for the current efforts but one never knows what impact it actually had. 

Anyway, this is great news and the next time I'm in Paris I will see how it all looks. It seems like future generations of new admirers will be able to pay their respects where she rests in peace. 

Craig