Père Lachaise cemetery - Molière tomb (in the foreground) and La Fontaine tomb (in the background)

Molière, whose real name was Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, was born on 15 January 1622 in Paris. Great playwright under Louis XIV (the Sun King), he wrote many plays which are still studied at school and played in theatre. He died on 17 February 1673 in Paris shortly after performing his play "The Imaginary Invalid" in which he played the role of Argan. He was himself really ill at that time... Actors were not allowed to have a religious burial, but his widow, Armande, managed to get permission from Louis XIV to have him buried by night in a cemetery for unbaptised infants.
Jean de La Fontaine was born on 8 July 1621 in Château-Thierry. He is best known for his moralistic fables which depict the intrigues of the royal court using animal characters. He died on 13 April 1695 in Paris. As Molière, he was buried in a cemetery for unbaptised infants (Saints Innocents Cemetery).
After the French revolution, the remains of both men were taken to the museum of French monuments in 1792. They were finally brought to Père Lachaise cemetery in 1817 after the closure of the museum.
Note : Unlike many of his counterparts, La Fontaine wrote a laudatory epitaph about Molière...