THE CHAUVET CAVE
Guide to Ardèche / The marvellous Adèche / The Chauvet cave
History of the ages, the Chauvet Cave
Not far from the impressive Pont d’Arc is the priceless Grotte Chauvet the oldest decorated cave in the world! It was discovered in 1994 by three French speleologists including a certain Jean-Marie Chauvet who gave his name to this immense discovery. Extraordinarily endowed with hundreds of paintings and engravings dating back for more than 36,000 years, it’s a treasure for the whole of humanity which is why in 2014 it became listed as a world heritage site of UNESCO.
La Chauvet 2, the little sister
Given the extreme rarity of the Chauvet cave, it was quickly closed to the public in order to preserve the art inside. Thankfully, so that the whole world can enjoy the wonders of the cave, a monumental reconstruction of the original Grotte Chauvet 2– was built a few kilometres from the campsite, thus offering a breathtakingly realistic copy of the prehistoric works in an environment as colossal as it is majestic.
A sensational replication
Scientists, engineers, and artists pooled together to achieve a feat unique in the world. Together they worked to reconstruct the original cave bringing to the public this extraordinary collection of paintings and engravings to such an exceptional degree that even the emotion of the initial discovery made in 1994 old is perceptible upon entering the cave.