Period of occupancy and decoration Paléolithique supérieur (≈ 1505000 av. J.-C.)
Creation of the parietal works of the cave.
1938
Discovery of gravel blades
Discovery of gravel blades 1938 (≈ 1938)
Evidence of occupation during the Gravettien.
28 janvier 1978
Discovery of engravings
Discovery of engravings 28 janvier 1978 (≈ 1978)
Identification by the Perigueux speleo-club.
27 juin 1983
Historical monument classification
Historical monument classification 27 juin 1983 (≈ 1983)
Official protection of the cave and its engravings.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Adorned cave called the Pigeonnier (cad. A 383, 386, 429): Order of 27 June 1983
Key figures
Membres du spéléo-club de Périgueux - Discoverers of engravings
Identified the works on January 28, 1978.
Brigitte et Gilles Delluc - Archaeologists and authors
Studyed and published on the cave in 1983.
Origin and history
The Pigeonnier Cave, located in the hamlet of Saint-Front in Domme (Dordogne), is a cave decorated with the Upper Paleolithic. It belongs to a private owner and is not accessible to the public. Drained in the coniacian limestone, it is part of a fossil resurgence of the karst network of the Hole of the Arc. Its walls contain engravings and sculptures depicting animals, including two large herbivores on the south wall and an accephalous animal on the north wall.
The first traces of occupation date back to the Gravettien, identified by blades discovered in 1938 in the south gallery. The engraved figures were discovered on 28 January 1978 by members of the Perigueux speleo-club. The performances include a small mammoth, a frieze of bovidae and equidae, and a horse. These discoveries led to its classification as historical monuments on 27 June 1983.
The cave is distinguished by its parietal art, mainly concentrated on a carved and engraved frieze. Although its exact location is known (31 Saint-Front, Domme), its access remains restricted due to its private property status. Published studies, such as those by Brigitte and Gilles Delluc in 1983, document its archaeological importance in the context of the higher Paleolithic in New Aquitaine.
