Mayenne-Sciences cave

Mayenne-Sciences Cave lies in the Erve river valley near Thorigné-en-Charnie, in the Mayenne department of western France. It belongs to the wider Saulges caves complex, where speleologists have counted more than twenty cavities cut into the limestone of the Armorican Massif. Among them, Mayenne-Sciences stands out as one of the few decorated caves in this part of France — a site whose paintings reshaped what researchers knew about prehistoric settlement north of the Loire.

Where does the name come from, and when was it found?

The cave takes its name from Mayenne-Sciences, a local caving association whose members located its entrance in 1967 during systematic surveys of the Erve valley. Access runs through the Dérouine porch, a narrow opening that forces anyone entering to crawl for several metres before reaching the chamber where the paintings appear.

What is inside the cave?

The cave's real significance only became clear through fieldwork carried out between 1999 and 2023 by archaeologist Romain Pigeaud. His team recorded 59 parietal representations, three times more than previously catalogued. The inventory includes 9 horses, 2 mammoths, a bison, and 4 animal figures too faint to identify with certainty, alongside 19 abstract signs, 18 engravings, and 14 finger and palm impressions left in the soft rock. Artists used black pigment made from charcoal as well as red ochre and hematite. The best-known composition, often called the "mammoth-horse" panel, brings the two animals together in a single scene. Charcoal analysis places the drawings in the Gravettian period, roughly 27,000 years ago, making them among the oldest known parietal art in this region of Europe.

Can visitors enter Mayenne-Sciences cave?

No. The cave is closed to the public, both to protect the fragile paintings from changes in humidity and temperature and because the entrance passage is genuinely difficult to negotiate. Visitors can still experience it indirectly: the Museum of Prehistory in the Saulges caves valley houses an immersive 3D reconstruction of Mayenne-Sciences, letting visitors explore the painted chamber virtually and see the artwork up close without endangering the originals. A walk through the Erve valley also brings visitors past the Dérouine porch, the rock opening that marks the cave's real entrance.

FAQ

Can you visit Mayenne-Sciences cave in person? No, the cave is closed to protect its paintings and because the entrance is difficult to access. An immersive 3D reconstruction can be visited at the Museum of Prehistory in Saulges.

When was the cave discovered? In 1967, by members of the Mayenne-Sciences caving association, which gave the cave its name.

How many paintings and engravings does the cave contain? Research carried out between 1999 and 2023 documented 59 representations: animals (horses, mammoths, a bison), abstract signs, engravings, and hand and finger traces.

How old are the paintings? They date to the Gravettian period, around 27,000 years ago.

Where exactly is the cave located? In the Erve river valley, near Thorigné-en-Charnie in the Mayenne department, as part of the Saulges caves complex.