The Vezere river is a tributary of the Dordogne, and the two
meet near Les Eyzies-de-Tayac before the Dordogne continues on
toward Bordeaux and the Atlantic ocean. Near the village of
Montignac, about 30 kilometers upstream on the Vezere, are some
excellent and unique venues, including the famous Lascaux cave.
Here are four that can be visited in one day.
1. Lascaux II- Lascaux is considered to be the number one
prehistoric site in all of Europe. The paintings on the site
date from 17,000 to 15,000 years ago. Shortly after that the
cave entrances were closed by mudslides or other natural means,
and thus the paintings were perfectly preserved until the modern
era. The cave was rediscovered in 1940 by two local boys who
were chasing their dog, and several years later it was opened to
the public. However, in 1963 it was closed again, as it was
discovered that too many people in the cave were causing the
paintings to deteriorate. Since then only a few scientists,
scholars or art historians per day were allowed in for several
hours maximum. For the past few years even those limited visits
have been stopped, as new signs of further deterioration have
been observed. The French government, however, took up a 10 year
project to make an exact duplicate of the cave. This effort,
which opened in 1983, uses exactly the same pigments that were
used by the Cro-Magnon artists thousands of years ago, and is
dimensionally accurate to less than one inch of error. It is
called Lascaux II, and is located only about 400 yards from the
original cave.
The quality of the artwork is the main reason that Lascaux is
considered the finest example of prehistoric cave paintings.
Done with only oil lamps for light and using high scaffolding,
the prehistoric artists who created this site were highly
accomplished artists. Most of the guided visits to Lascaux II
are conducted in French, but there are tours in English on most
days. One needs to call the Lascaux ticket office in Montignac
or the Montignac Office of Tourism to find out if and when there
is an English tour on any given day. If you have a group they
will probably set up an English tour for you and other English
speakers, but this needs to be arranged in advance through the
ticket office. Even though Lascaux II is a replica and not the
original, it is very well done, very informative, and not to be
missed. 2. St. Leon sur Vezere- This is another of the “Most
Beautiful Villages of France”. Built in a picturesque loop of
the Vezere river, this charming village possesses two castles
and one of the finest Romanesque churches of the Perigord. The
church was part of a Benedictine priory which was founded in the
12th century. It was built on the ruins of a Gallo-Roman villa.
The remains of one of the villa’s walls can be seen on the river
side. There is a picnic area next to the church on the banks of
the river, and a café is nearby as well. This is an excellent
spot to have a pleasant lunch or a refreshing drink.
3. La Roque St. Christophe (St. Christopher’s Rock) is a huge
Troglodyte cave complex. For about a half mile in length this
majestic cliff rises vertically above the Vezere valley to a
height of over 250ft. It is like a huge hive with about 100
caves hollowed out of the rock on five tiers. Excavations have
proved that the cliff dwellings were inhabited from the Upper
Paleolithic Age onwards. In the 10th century the cliff terraces
served as the foundation for a fortress which was used against
the Vikings, and again later during the Hundred Years War. It
was subsequently destroyed during the Wars of Religion at the
end of the 16th century. The self-guided tour explains the
evolution of human life at La Roque St. Christophe, which took
place over many centuries . In fact even Neanderthal fossils
have been found at this site and at other locations nearby.
4. Chateau de Losse- This renaissance chateau sits on the right
bank of the Vezere river, and it has a large terrace that
overlooks the river and offers picturesque views. The chateau is
well known for its excellent furniture and tapestries, which can
be seen on the guided tours. The tours are in French, but
foreign language guides are available, and these are easy to
follow so one does not miss anything. The tours are quite good,
and one can also visit the well kept gardens and stroll around
the outside of the chateau in the former moat area.
As stated earlier, these four venues in the Vezere Valley near
Montignac can easily be visited in one day, since they are
relatively close and do not take too long to visit any of them.
If one is staying nearby, in Sarlat, for example, only about 25
kilometers away, a visit to these sites is well worth the
effort.
