For decades, being laid to rest near the likes of The Doors singer Jim Morrison at the Pere-Lachaise cemetery or the writer Simone de Beauvoir across the River Seine in Montparnasse has been a pipe dream for Parisians.

Both historic cemeteries, which attract tourists from across the globe, have been overcrowded since the start of the 20th century.

But residents are now being offered the chance to win eternal rest in abandoned heritage graves at the sites when the end finally comes -- as long as they agree to restore them first.

The authorities in the French capital launched a lottery on Monday, offering 30 monuments for sale in a raffle -- 10 at Pere-Lachaise, 10 at Montparnasse and 10 at Montmartre.

"Within the first 24 hours we had 1,000 clicks on the application forms," Paul Simondo

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