TreeAlive
‹ Base Mérimée: Monuments historiques, France

Base Mérimée: Monuments historiques · France

Grotte de la Vache

Laroque, Hérault, France

The record

Designation
Historic monument, registered (inscrit)
Protection
inscrit MH
Extent of protection
Grotte de la Vache (cad. C 330) : inscription par arrêté du 28 mai 1990
Protection dates
1990/05/28 : inscrit MH
Type
grotte ornée
Main period of construction
Paléolithique
Ownership
propriété privée
Commune
Laroque
Département
Hérault
Region
Occitanie
Country
France
Coordinates
43.91717, 3.73360
Mérimée reference
PA00103763

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

IGN France — Géoportail

5 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1778 map "56 Nant, Millaud." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Get directions ↗

This record on the Ministère de la Culture's POP platform ↗

The Ministère de la Culture's notice

Unique site de l'Hérault recèlant des traces d'art pariétal magdalénien supérieur. La grotte est connue depuis 1664 et a été fouillée en 1905. Deux ensembles sont discernables : des incisions linéraires enchevêtrées avec des figures géométriques ; des figures animales dont le bovidé. Le remplissage archéologique est également très important. C'est l'une des rares cavités montrant une stratigraphie allant du Magdalénien ancien au Magdalénien récent.

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Sole site in Hérault containing traces of upper Magdalenian wall art. The cave has been known since 1664 and was excavated in 1905. Two groups are discernible: interwoven linear incisions with geometric figures; animal figures including a bovid. The archaeological infill is also very important. It is one of the rare cavities showing a stratigraphy ranging from Early Magdalenian to Recent Magdalenian.

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Base Mérimée, Ministère de la Culture, data last updated 2026-09-17, reused under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab). Record text is reproduced unchanged. Ministère de la Culture · Licence Ouverte 2.0
See your own family's places on a living map