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Abri de la Madeleine in Tursac en Dordogne

Patrimoine classé
Vestiges préhistoriques
Abris sous roche
Dordogne

Abri de la Madeleine in Tursac

    D706
    24620 Tursac
Abri de la Madeleine à Tursac
Abri de la Madeleine à Tursac

Timeline

Âge du Fer
Antiquité
Haut Moyen Âge
Moyen Âge central
Bas Moyen Âge
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
100 av. J.-C.
0
900
1000
1100
1200
1800
1900
2000
Vers 10 000 ans av. J.-C.
Burial of a child
IXe siècle
Beginning of medieval occupation
XIe-XIIe siècles
Construction of the chapel
1863-1865
Search of Lartet and Christy
1910-1926
Search by Denis Peyrony
1956
Historical monument classification
1979
Registration at UNESCO
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Key figures

Édouard Lartet - Prehistory Discoverer of the defence engraved in 1864.
Henry Christy - Archaeologist Collaborator of Lartet during the excavations.
Denis Peyrony - Archaeologist Major searches between 1910 and 1926.
Jean-Marc Bouvier - Archaeologist Recent search (1968-1988).
Comtes de Sireuil - Medieval Lords Builders of Petit Marzac castle.

Origin and history

The Madeleine shelter, located in Tursac, Dordogne, is an emblematic paleolithic archaeological deposit, the eponymous site of the Magdalenian. He delivered objects of furniture art, including an engraved mammoth defense discovered in 1864 by Édouard Lartet and Henry Christy, confirming the coexistence of Man and missing species. The site also revealed a child's burial, about 10,000 years old, richly adorned with shells, mixing Magdalenian and Azilian influences.

The successive excavations, carried out notably by Denis Peyrony (1910-1926) and Jean-Marc Bouvier (1968-1988), consolidated its scientific importance. Ranked a historic monument in 1956, it is one of the 15 prehistoric sites of the Vézère valley registered with UNESCO since 1979, highlighting its key role in understanding Prehistory.

The site was also occupied in the Middle Ages, as early as the ninth century, as a troglodytic semi-creuse village in the cliff. A Romanesque and Gothic church, dedicated to Sainte Marie-Madeleine, was built there between the 11th and 12th centuries, while a castle (Petit Marzac), probably built between the 11th and 14th centuries, dominated the site. A common 12th century oven, still in use today, bears witness to medieval daily life.

The Château de Petit Marzac, attributed to the Counts of Sireuil and then to the Beynac, presents a hybrid architecture: a Saint-Martin tower and defensive elements dated from the 14th century, contrasting with an older masonry. Fired in 1660, it illustrates the evolution of military techniques. The seigneurial chapel, mixing Romanesque and Gothic styles, reinforces the unique character of this site with its dual heritage, prehistoric and medieval.

In 2023, the Madeleine's shelter was used as a setting for scenes from the Fortune series of France, highlighting its spectacular setting and multi-year history.

External links