First documented exploration 15 juillet 1780 (≈ 1780)
By Benoît-Joseph Marsollier des Vivetières.
1889
Exploration by Martel
Exploration by Martel 1889 (≈ 1889)
A perilous visit revealing the cave.
1931
Tourism development
Tourism development 1931 (≈ 1931)
Opening to the public after work.
1999
Proposed UNESCO file
Proposed UNESCO file 1999 (≈ 1999)
18 sites and 24 southern caves.
2007
Withdrawal of the UNESCO project
Withdrawal of the UNESCO project 2007 (≈ 2007)
Creation of the CFVA afterwards.
17 septembre 2010
Ministerial classification
Ministerial classification 17 septembre 2010 (≈ 2010)
Cave protection and approaches.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Benoît-Joseph Marsollier des Vivetières - Topic Explorer
First exploration in 1780.
Édouard-Alfred Martel - Speleologist
Detailed exploration in 1889.
Origin and history
The cave of Les Demoiselles, located in the Thaurac massif near Ganges (Hérault, Occitanie), has been known since time immemorial. His first documented exploration dates from 15 July 1780 by Benoît-Joseph Marsollier des Vivetières. A deeper exploration in 1889 by Édouard-Alfred Martel, a renowned speleologist, made her better known, although the visit was perilous. From 1931, the cave was designed for the public and has since been open to visitors.
The geological formation of the cave is the result of a vauclusian source digging, followed by phases of clumping and concretion. The main periods of development of the concretions date back to the terminal Pliocene, the Quaternary, and the Holocene. A local legend explains his current name: a shepherd, looking for a lost lamb, would have discovered the cave and glimpsed the "moiselles" (spirits of nature) before fainting.
The cave was the subject of an attempt to register the world heritage in 1999 in a dossier of 24 caves in southern France, but the project was withdrawn in 2007. It is now classified by ministerial decree (2010) and protected in natural areas (Znieff, Natura 2000). Its Occitan name, Balma de las Domaiselas, evokes pagan deities linked to caves and forests.
The site is managed by the Association de valorisation des cavités françaises à concrétions (AVCFC), created after the abandonment of the UNESCO registration project. The cave remains an emblematic place of tourist spelology in Occitanie, combining geological heritage and local folklore.
