Period of serious occupation 28 000 à 22 000 ans avant le présent (≈ 0)
Dating of paintings and bones
1ᵉʳ décembre 2005
First speleological exploration
First speleological exploration 1ᵉʳ décembre 2005 (≈ 2005)
Discovery of bones by the team
2 décembre 2005
Discovery of the parietal face
Discovery of the parietal face 2 décembre 2005 (≈ 2005)
By Gérard Jourdy, Excluded Member
février 2006
Public announcement by the Ministry
Public announcement by the Ministry février 2006 (≈ 2006)
Official Disclosure of Discovery
2 mars 2020
Historical Monument
Historical Monument 2 mars 2020 (≈ 2020)
Legal protection of the site
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The cave located at the place called Les Garennes, known as the Cave du Visage, as well as the ground and basement of Parcel n°17, section AB of the cadastre of the commune of Vilhonneur, which contains it, with all the cavities and archaeological deposits contained therein, as delimited in red on the plan annexed to the decree: classification by decree of 2 March 2020
Key figures
Gérard Jourdy - Speleologist (excluded)
Face discoverer, sanctioned for disclosure
Dominique Augier, Bruno Delage, André Louis, Joël Louis, Jean-Michel Rainaud, Pierre Vauvillier - Team of speleologists
Authors of disobstruction works (2003-2005)
Origin and history
The Visage Cave, originally called the Vilhonor Cave, was renamed to avoid confusion with the Placard Cave located in the same old town. Its current name refers to a unique parietal painting representing a stylized face, integrated into a natural concretion evoking a head with its hair. This adorned cave, discovered in 2005, is located in the wood of Vilhonneur, near an aven locally named aven du Charnier. Early explorations revealed works attributed to the Gravettien (about 28,000 to 22,000 years before the present), as well as human and animal bones, enriching the knowledge of this prehistoric period.
The discovery of the cave is the result of two years of disobedience by a group of charentais speleologists, authorized by the owner of the site. On 1 December 2005, the team finally reached the cavity and found bones. The next day, Gérard Jourdy, a member of the group, discovered only the face painted on the walls. This revelation, released in February 2006 by the Ministry of Culture, aroused a keen archaeological interest. However, Gérard Jourdy was excluded from the Fédération française de seleologie for having disclosed the discovery without consultation, making a personal profit.
The betting works of the face cave include, in addition to the iconic face, geometric signs (punctuations, strokes) and a right negative hand with a split thumb, made with a black pigment. Prehistoric artists used the natural relief of the walls to suggest animal representations, such as equidae, feline, bear or reindeer. The excavations also revealed five anatomical hyena skeletons, dated about 28,000 years, and a human skull intentionally deposited in a small adjacent cave. These elements, associated with the paintings, suggest that the site could be used as a place of ritual burial, like the cave of Cussac in the Dordogne.
Carbon dating 14 confirmed that human bones and paintings were contemporary, dating back about 27,000 years. The cave, classified as Historic Monument in 2020, is now protected and accessible only during exceptional visits organized by the owner. His study continues to provide valuable insights into the artistic and funeral practices of Gravettien in New Aquitaine.
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