Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Montespan Cave, also known as the Houantaou Underground, is an underground cavity classified as a Historic Monument since 1924. Located on top of the municipalities of Montespan and Ganties (Haute-Garonne, Occitanie), it is renowned for its parietal art scenes and clay animal statues dating from the Upper Paleolithic. These works are among the oldest known in the world, including a statue of accephalous bears accompanied by a real skull, discovered in 1923 by Norbert Casteret after crossing two siphons in apnea.

The clay representations, including horses and the iconic bear, inspired the theory of bear worship in the 1920s. Despite their importance, these works were severely degraded by successive visits, leading to the final closure of the cave. Mentions of the site already appear in works of the late nineteenth century, suggesting a local knowledge prior to its official rediscovery.

The name Montespan is a recent name: the inhabitants traditionally called it Souterrain de La Hountaou (or Hount du Hountaou en gascon), derived from the words Hont/Hontau meaning "source" or "source". This term refers to the karst resurgence that characterizes the network, dug into the Urgonian limestone. Today, the cave is communal property and strictly forbidden from access to preserve the remaining remains.

The exact location is approximate (accuracy noted 5/10), with an address referenced at 105 Le Village, 31160 Ganties. The 1924 classification covers all the Galleries and caves known as Houantaou Underground, highlighting their exceptional heritage value despite their vulnerability.

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