Site de la grotte des Fraux
MonumentHidden Treasure
Site de la grotte des Fraux, located in Saint-Martin-de-Fressengeas (Dordogne), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Saint-Martin-de-Fressengeas, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 45.4473, 0.8546
- Mérimée Reference
- PA00135171
A Bronze Age rock sanctuary in the Dordogne, the grotte des Fraux contains mysterious examples of parietal art among the latest of French prehistory, engraved more than 3,000 years ago.
History
Nestling in the wooded hills of the Périgord Vert, on the edge of the commune of Saint-Martin-de-Fressengeas, the Grotte des Fraux is one of the rare Bronze Age underground sanctuaries identified in France. Far from the great Palaeolithic frescoes for which the Dordogne is world-famous, this site reveals another, more discreet but equally fascinating form of the sacred: that of an already advanced humanity that continued, millennia after Lascaux, to inscribe its symbols in stone. What really sets the Les Fraux cave apart is the absolute rarity of its type. There are exceptionally few decorated Bronze Age caves in Western Europe. The remains that have been found - geometric engravings, abstract signs, possible stylised anthropomorphic or zoomorphic representations - testify to a clear stylistic break with the animal art of the Palaeolithic, while at the same time forming part of a ritual continuity that says a great deal about the persistence of the site as a place of memory and worship. The visitor experience, although constrained by the conservation imperatives that govern access to this type of listed site, is of a particular intensity. To venture into these limestone galleries is to plunge into a mineral silence charged with a human presence dating back over three thousand years. The artificial light, necessary for progress, causes shapes to emerge from the walls that take some time to decipher, inviting a form of patient and attentive contemplation. The surrounding scenery adds to the atmosphere of the place. The Périgord Vert, less frequented than the Périgord Noir, offers a landscape of steep-sided valleys, chestnut forests and wet meadows that seems to jealously guard its secrets. The Fraux cave is one of the most beautiful. For the discerning visitor, this site represents an unusual archaeological and sensory interlude, away from the beaten tourist track.
Architecture
The Grotte des Fraux is a natural cave carved out of the Périgord Vert limestone, the result of karstic processes that have shaped the underground network over millions of years. The cave network features galleries of varying dimensions, alternating between narrow passages and more open rooms, typical of the limestone dissolution caves typical of the Périgord. The walls, made of white to greyish limestone, are a natural surface on which Bronze Age man left his mark. The cave's cave art is stylistically distinct from that of its Palaeolithic predecessors. It mainly features geometric motifs - incised lines, chevrons and circular shapes - as well as engravings, the iconographic interpretation of which remains partly open. The techniques used by Bronze Age craftsmen involved incising directly into the rock using metal tools, leaving fine, precise lines that contrast with the sometimes wider tracings of Magdalenian art. Traces of dyes and black materials, probably linked to the use of torches or grease lamps, have also been found. The immediate surroundings of the cave entrance, set into the wooded slope of a valley, bear witness to the care with which Bronze Age populations selected their ritual practice sites: the location on a hillside, probably close to a spring or stream, meets symbolic and practical criteria common to many cult sites from the same period in Western Europe.
Related Figures
Populations de l'âge du Bronze périgourdin (2200-800 av. J.-C.) — utilisateurs et créateurs des gravures pariétalesChercheurs de la DRAC Aquitaine — responsables des fouilles et de l'étude scientifique moderne du siteNorbert Aujoulat — préhistorien spécialiste de l'art pariétal périgourdin, ayant contribué à l'étude de nombreux sites de la régionConservateurs des Monuments Historiques de la Dordogne — artisans de la protection légale du site depuis 1995
Tags
Nearby castles
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Site de la grotte des Fraux located?
Site de la grotte des Fraux is located in Saint-Martin-de-Fressengeas, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
Is Site de la grotte des Fraux open to visitors?
Site de la grotte des Fraux is currently closed to visitors.
