Grotte du Pech Merle (Cabrerets)
The prehistoric galleries of the lower network of caves were discovered in 1922 by André David and Henri Dutertre, aged 16 and 15, from the village of Cabrerets.
Grotte du Pech Merle, a genuine prehistoric cave
The prehistoric galleries of the lower network of caves were discovered in 1922 by André David and Henri Dutertre, aged 16 and 15, from the village of Cabrerets. The paintings and engravings were immediately studied by Father Amédée Lemozi, a priest and prehistory scholar from Cabrerets. The upper network of the Grotte du Pech Merle, which has no traces of prehistoric presence, was explored at the beginning of the 20th century.
The cave has been open to the public since 1926 and became a listed monument in 1952. It has been owned and run by the village of Cabrerets since 1973. In 1981, the Musée de Préhistoire opened near the entrance to the cave and together they form the Centre de Préhistoire du Pech Merle. The Pech Merle cave is huge. Its length exceeds 2km and the chambers are vast.
Pech Merle Cave, untouched for many thousands of years, is a genuine masterpiece of prehistoric art, presenting one of humanity’s finest artistic expressions.
It is a heritage which must be preserved. A prehistoric cave is an exceptional place which cannot be visited in the same way as any other monument, nor a replica. The cave paintings at Pech Merle are over 20,000 years old and were found in a remarkable state of preservation. However, they remain extremely fragile.
Pech Merle Cave and its Spotted Horses
Its geological interest is fundamental. All the stages of the cave’s formation, which lasted many millions of years, are still visible : its carving out by water, roof falls, successively filled then drained with water, sand and clay, the formation of stalactites, stalagmites, columns, drapery, discs, helictites, rimstone dams, stalagmite ceilings, fractures and erosion of these different types of concretions left their mark in this or that part of the cavern. It is an authentic history of the Earth.
One of the major features of this cave is the association of its natural beauty with prehistoric paintings, some of which go back almost 30,000 years : line drawings of bison and mammoth, a bear’s head carved into the stone, silhouettes of horses, not forgetting the famous « hand negatives » painted using stencils. More than 70 animals interact with the relief of the rock, colours and light. The mammoth is the most frequently represented creature with 28 figures. The only image of a bear is a strikingly realistic engraving made with a flint. The painting of the Spotted Horses is a unique composition, an exceptionally well-preserved masterpiece dating back 29,000 years. Around 800 different figures in total have been counted in the cave. These drawings, associated with the handprints and footprints left by prehistoric man create a feeling of closeness with our distant ancestors.
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