Can a renovation breathe new life into Paris’ home for the dead?

PARIS – For more than two centuries, tourists have descended beneath the streets of Paris to visit the catacombs, a dank and macabre labyrinth filled with the remains of up to six million Parisians. From floor to ceiling, they are lined with bones, femur by femur, skull by skull, that draw 600,000 visitors a year to the dimly lit tunnels.

Parts of those gloomy passageways have now been given a much-needed facelift.