A Home in the Cliffs and the Wonders of Pech Merle
During this part of our journey, we stayed in Cabrerets at the home of Boris Bigelot, a rather extraordinary place built right into the limestone cliffs. Boris had an interesting story of his own. Originally a baker from Paris, he had left the city about ten years earlier in search of a slower pace of life. He had found his little piece of paradise here in the Célé Valley, where he had made his home right into the limestone cliffs.
From Boris’s home, we walked to the famous Pech Merle caves, where we discovered another extraordinary piece of the region’s history — the prehistoric paintings found by three young local explorers in 1922.
This became another highlight of our journey.
The caves have a fascinating history. On 4 September 1922, three young people from the village of Cabrerets made an extraordinary discovery. André David, aged 16, his younger sister Marthe, aged 13, and their friend Henri Dutertre, aged 15, ventured into an unexplored section of the caves.
Armed with candles (made from the leftover candles from the church), ropes, and a hammer, they squeezed through a narrow, dark passage and eventually reached a huge chamber containing prehistoric paintings and engravings. Imagine their excitement when they realized what they had found!
The paintings are estimated to be more than 20,000 years old, a remarkable gallery of life from another Age. Spotted horses, mammoths, handprints, and other mysterious images were painted and engraved into the limestone walls.
It struck me how much this area has always attracted people looking for something special. Thousands of years ago, people found shelter in these caves and cliffs. Much later, Boris left the busy streets of Paris to create a quieter life among them.
Different centuries, different reasons, but perhaps this area captures many people’s hearts. I know it did mine.
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