On the heights of Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, in the heart of the 15-hectare Razal site, Grotte Chauvet 2 is a theatrical replica of the cave art of the Palaeolithic Pont d’Arc.
Why such an ambitious project?
Discovered in 1994 by speleologist Jean-Marie Chauvet and his colleagues, this cave has been the subject of the world’s largest and most ambitious reconstruction to date.
It was opened to the public in 2015 following a lengthy archaeological, technological and artistic project.
The Rhône-Alpes Region and the Ardèche Department, with the support of the French government and Europe, launched the project in 2007 to promote this exceptional cave.
The replica of the Chauvet cave is France’s 39th World Heritage Site.
Its two main objectives:
- Revealing and sharing with as many people as possible the universal heritage bequeathed by our prehistoric ancestors
- Create a dynamic of economic and cultural development for the Ardèche and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. In particular, it builds on the cave’s inscription on the Unesco World Heritage List in 2014.
Why is it called Grotte Chauvet 2?
This site was temporarily called the Caverne du Pont d’Arc to distinguish it from the Chauvet cave itself, following a dispute with the inventor who discovered it.
The original cave is now named after the caver who discovered it, and is not open to the general public for conservation reasons, but is reserved for researchers and scientists.
By setting up the Syndicat Mixte de l’Espace de Restitution de la Grotte Chauvet (SMERGC), the then president of the Ardèche departmental council, Pascal Terrasse, relaunched the project that had been initiated but abandoned a few years earlier.
This joint association opted for the name Caverne du Pont d’Arc, highlighting the region, after having considered Grotte Chauvet 2.
Over time, as the site received 485,000 visits in its first year, and reached one million visitors in 2017, a dispute arose between the cave’s discoverers and the site’s operators. But in February 2019, with the dispute resolved, the Cavern changed its name to Grotte Chauvet II, as originally planned.
What does the site look like?
It is made up of five complementary divisions:
Chauvet 2 (the recreated cave), the Aurignacian gallery (permanent exhibition centre), the educational centre, thetemporary exhibition and events area, and the restaurant and shop centre.
This fragmented structure is designed with buildings integrated into the topography of the site and set at ground level to be as unobtrusive as possible: this is why it is said to form a footprint in the landscape.
Thanks to its architecture, visitors are transported into a cool, damp and dark subterranean atmosphere, following in the footsteps of the three discoverers of the original cave:
Jean-Marie Chauvet, Éliette Brunel and Christian Hillaire.
A real cave is recreated, with its floors, walls and vaults – a realistic underground landscape designed to house replicas of human and animal remains, as well as the first masterpieces of humanity.
As it was impossible to recreate the original cave in its entirety, Guy Perazio and his team created a new cave with a floor area of 3,000 m² and a developed surface area of 8,200 m² based on a 3D digital survey of the original cave.
To meet this creative challenge, a number of people have joined forces to create a unique human community bringing together complementary industrial, craft and artistic skills.
What does the Grotte Chauvet reveal?
Given that decorated caves are places of worship, our ancestors certainly put myths into images. These images bear witness to the development of a complex language and solid social organisation.
As proof, the artists were experienced (the drawings seem to have been drawn on the first try), the choice of animals represented, like the ferocious animals that roamed the Ardèche, and the preparations were complex (flint, lighting, pigments…).
What’s more, dating back 36,000 years, these images reveal the landscape of the Ardèche at a time when the Earth was undergoing an ice age.
According to the researchers, the images really do tell a story, like all myths and religions, which are full of symbols. But their meaning remains obscure to the uninitiated.
As these traditions were passed down orally by our prehistoric ancestors, no trace of them remains, leaving the way open to scientific research and poetic imagination.
Virtual tour of the original cave
Until you get there and visit the Chauvet 2 site, you can follow the guide or move freely from room to room in the original Chauvet cave via the Ministry of Culture website.
A web space is dedicated to the virtual discovery of the cave, including 360° photos for an all-images discovery, in addition to texts and resources.
36,000 years ago, the Grotte Chauvet-Pont d’Arc, contents :
- Discover the cave: Virtual visit, the Ardèche valley in the Palaeolithic, cultures and societies
- Research
- Discovery and conservation
- The replica of the cave
- Other views
- Resources
Video presentation in less than 5 minutes:
Grotte Chauvet in practice
How do I get there?
By train, coach and bus
From Montélimar SNCF station, Valence ville or Valence TGV take the bus to Vallon. Timetable and bus stops for route 76 to Vallon-pont-D’Arc.
Carpooling
To choose your car-sharing solution, visit this page dedicated to car-sharing in the Rhône Valley and in France.
By road
From the north of France, take the A7 motorway (Montélimar sud exit no. 18), then follow signs for Bourg-Saint-Andéol and Saint-Remèze. From the south, take the Bollène exit (19) and follow the same direction.
By road, take either the RD86 on the right bank of the Rhône or the RN7 on the Drôme side.
➡ Interactive maps showing routes to the Chauvet 2 cave.
Site map of the Caverne Pont d’Arc
To help you find your way around the Grotte Chauvet 2 site before your visit, here is a map of the exhibition area:
Website
Direct access to the official Grotte Chauvet 2 website and images:
