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Key figures

Origin and history

The Dargilan cave, located in Lozère on the Black causse near Meyrueis, owes its nickname to the iron oxides colouring its walls. Discovered in 1880 by a young shepherd named Sahuquet while pursuing a fox, it was not systematically explored until 1884 by Édouard-Alfred Martel, father of modern speleology. Full exploration took place in June 1888 with a team including Louis Armand, a blacksmith whose name was given to the nearby Aven Armand.

In 1890 Dargilan became the first French cave designed for the public, thanks to eleven iron ladders and handrails installed by Martel, Armand and the French Alpine Club. The property was passed on to Mr Schitz that year, who organized the first candle visits. The electrification took place in 1910 after technical difficulties, modernising the tourist experience. The cave, still active hydrologically, reveals 500,000-year-old concretions and a ceiling marked by a 35,000-year-old collapse.

The explorations continued in the 20th century, notably in 1932 by Louis Balsan under the impetus of Aimé Cazal, then until the 2010s by the Passet family, the current owner. Ranked since 1941, Dargilan was proposed without success for UNESCO World Heritage Registration in 1999. Its unique geology, with limestones of the upper Bathonian (Jurassic), and its various colours (pink, brown, grey, ochre) make it a major geological site.

The cavity extends over 2,108 meters with a 107 meters elevation, following the former course of a river now located 120 meters below. Its lower rooms house shallow gours, while its fistulauses (macaronis) precede the formation of stalactites. Manganese oxide and various minerals offer a rare chromatic palette, enhancing its tourist and scientific appeal for more than a century.

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