Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The gorges de la Save, dug by the river in a limestone fold of the Petites Pyrénées, form a natural parade at the border of the communes of Montmaurin and Lespugue, in Haute-Garonne. This karst site, marked by cliffs and a network of caves, has been continuously occupied from the Middle Paleolithic to the modern era. It houses exceptional archaeological traces, including the pre-Neanderthal mandible of Montmaurin and the famous Venus de Lespugue, emblematic statuette of the Upper Paleolithic discovered in the caves of the Sava.

The valley also features Gallo-Roman remains, such as the Lassalles villa and the Hillère site, as well as medieval ruins (Castles of Roquebrune and Lespugue, Chapel Notre-Dame de la Hillère). Ranked a historical monument in 1972 for its set of caves and prehistoric shelters, the site has also been protected as a natural area of ecological, wildlife and floristic interest (ZNIEFF) since 1997, due to its remarkable biodiversity ( rare orchids, protected bats, Mediterranean birds).

The gorges have been the subject of recent conflicts between industrial exploitation and heritage preservation. In 2007, a limestone quarry project on the ZNIEFF, led by Dragages Garonnais, attracted unanimous opposition from institutions (Regional Council, Department), scholarly societies (Académie de Toulouse, Société archéologique du Midi) and personalities such as Yves Coppens or Henry de Lumley. Despite a prefectural order authorizing exploitation in 2009, the Toulouse Administrative Court cancelled the project in 2013, a decision confirmed by the Council of State in 2016, thus saving the medieval remains discovered during the archaeological diagnoses.

Today, the Gorges de la Save combine historical heritage and tourist activities, with hiking trails (marked PR), climbing sites (130 lanes spread over 5 sectors) and trout fishing spots. Geocaching and visiting accessible cavities, such as Lespugue caves, attract history and nature lovers. The site remains a prehistoric research focus, illustrating the continuity of human occupation for more than 30,000 years.

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