In the
previous article we discussed the events that led to the discovery of the famous, “Sistine Chapel of Prehistory,” the
Lascaux Cave located near the town of Montignac in
France, 80 years ago this month by a group of young boys looking for a dog. They were surprised to find that the hole the dog fell into was actually a shaft that entered a cave system covered in prehistoric wall and ceiling paintings. This extraordinary attraction was then opened to the public for a few short years before the traffic of excited visitors and researchers constantly moving through the space led to damage of the precious paintings. As a result, the caves have been closed to the public since the 1960s. Luckily, however, detailed drawings and reproductions of the works had been done by one of the initial visitors, the
Abbé Henri Breuil, and then later the artist Monique Peytrial, who spent more than ten years copying the art in the cave. From 1983, replicas of the paintings called Lascaux II, III, and IV were created nearby with IV being an incredible museum utilising the best of multi-media exhibitions and technologies to tell the story of the caves. So, if you have found a
vacation rental in Montignac and want to learn more about this extraordinary place, there are still plenty of options even if the caves themselves are closed.