The cave of "La Caune"

 

The most remarkable of these caves is “La Caune”, outside the village, on the slopes of a large hill. The cave is an immense subterranean hall. Access is a bit offset on the east sunrise, by a visible opening. There is no need for additional lighting, as on the opposite extremity of the cave, there is an opening in the ceiling that allows natural light to flow into the cave. It appears that this skylight appeared at the end of the 18th century, as a result of violent seismic activity in the region. Despite this cataclysmic past, several superb vestiges inside the cave survive, displaying the mineral beauty of stalagmites and stalactites. The cave has several inscriptions, still visible, which have been classified as very old; Neolithic in fact. Several other discoveries have also been made: pots, statues, silex-stones, etc.

There seems little doubt that this cave served as a sacred sanctuary for what one could call “a form of primitive initiation”. The cave has a natural “cathedral shape”: the area near the entrance descends and offers seating accommodation, towards the “altar”, completely created by the forces of Nature.
It is not known whether this is the cave that Ramon de Perillos identified as an “entrance to the Otherworld”, but it might very well be. In primitive societies, caves were seen as entrances into the Underworld, the entrance to Fairyland, where mythical creatures could be encountered. They were seen as entrances into the body of the Earth – into the womb of the Mother Goddess.

The name “La Caune” is both simple and logical and in no manner reveals a legendary or mythological origin. The word is derived from the Occitan “cauna”, a female word meaning cave, opening, etc. We could not have stated it more simple or better ourselves. We should add that before the appearance of modern detailed maps, this cave was not indicated on any ancient plan or any topographical relief or royal plan. To our knowledge, the oldest trace of “La Caune” goes back to 1781, but this in no way means the place was unknown before. Rather, it might suggest that the cave was somehow not indexed, so that its sacred nature could be kept – or that until then, it was known under another name. After all, naming a cave “cave” is rather generic.

We know that there was another cave, known to Laborie, the priest of Perillos, in the 18th century. At that time, it was known under the name of “Oursue”, “Oursus” or “Oursuv” (the word is hardly readable in the old document). In 1776, Laborie was obviously impressed by the place and stated that there was an engraving inside, which in his opinion represented the constellation of the Great Bear, above a “coupe recipien de la saincte csène de nostre seygneur Jésus”, the recipient cup of the Holy Communion of our lord Jesus. The presence of the Great Bear is intriguing, as is the presence of the “recipient cup” – which has often been identified as the Holy Grail. As there is no such depiction in La Caune, we can only suggest that La Caune and Oursu must be two different caves.

The name of the region Roussillon stems from the name “Urseolus” or “Russeolus”, the name of the first lords of the region. They had the bear as their totem animal. As a result, the emblem of the Sabarthès is two bears flanking a central blazon. Remarkably, that contains the Grail Cup. This means that the depiction in the cave is virtually identical to the symbol of the Roussillon. What was first? Impossible to tell…

Entering the cave

Presently, the cave is known to the locals and has its fair share of negative intrusions. Though burning candles on top of some of the rock formations might seem romantic for the duration of the flickering light, they also leave traces behind for those coming to admire the natural beauty of the cave afterwards.
A badly neglected path gives access to the cave. Resembling a small prairie in the middle of a straight valley, a few cypresses, a stone ruin of a shepherd’s shelter, and a hole always full of water, can be found near the cave’s entrance. The entrance is next to a small cliff, in the form of an orifice which is both important and remarkable. Clear and visible signs of ancient masonry are still visible here, as if the entrance was somehow regulated by man’s intervention.
Some authors believe the cave was used by shepherds for shelter. It is however easily visible, once on the site, that this theory is improbable. The ramp of the access path is very steep if not dangerous, possibly with fatal consequences. We need to add that originally, the skylight was not present and hence the ascent and descent of the cave would occur in total darkness. Furthermore, the humidity inside the cave might be another reason why this usage is improbable. The confusion might however be the result of not distinguishing between the cave and the shepherd’s hut nearby.

As soon as one enters, a path proposes itself almost in an invisible, unconscious manner. Though it is possible to descend in a straight line, it is risky. It is therefore more easy, and inviting, to follow a more practical path. This path resembles the outline of a sleeping serpent.
It seems that this route into the cave resembles some form of initiation. Initiation, that is, in the sense of entrance into the clan, at the adult age, the passage where obscurity becomes revealed, but in this case also as a passage into Mother Earth. And upon leaving the cave, it is literally a return, an ascent to the light: birth. The cave is, after all, in the shape of a womb.

Having reached the bottom of the cave, we stand in front of a “straight” passage representing some sort of “side path”, outlined between two rocks. This leads on the left to a cavity which is even more plunged in darkness. It is here, on the left side, that the first engravings are visible on the rocks. It is easy to distinguish the crosses with equal arms, some of which are encircled, fully or partially.
Directly behind this cavity, one can find what we have labelled the “lateral chapel”. To the left, there is a high wall, with openings. There are minerals of true beauty. It is here that one can find, amidst “organs of silicium”, other cruciform engravings. The outline of one rock subliminally resembles the outline of a human head, a human figure. It is in this area that several small, ancient statuettes were discovered amongst the calcifications.
Without entering in too much detail, there were a certain number of pots which date from the 5th to the 19th century. These are made in a simple, popular and practical manner, without decoration. A second deposit seems to have involved quality material, more ancient and dated to the Roman era. On the outside, close to the entrance, we were shown the location of a small bronze deposit, as well as fragments of a few human bones, apparently a funerary place for some 3 or 4 humans, possibly children.

It is in this cave that the Black Madonna used in the Pentecost mass was discovered. Its location seems to have been in the “lateral chapel”, near the presence of the cross engravings – suggesting this was the “holy of holies”. We also know that several small statuettes made from burned earth were placed in this sector of the cave.
Some other small statuettes have also been discovered here. One is anthropomorphic, without head or feet. Made out of reddish terracotta, it is covered with a type of very dark, brown varnish. The height of this part is 8 cm and is modelled in fine clay. It represents a naked human, obviously female, because the character has breasts. Around the neck is an ornament that is made of small balls.
The most important find, however, is of a statue that is a veritable museum piece.
Such statues are best known from Sumer, where they have been dated to 4500-4000 BC. Their strangue features have forced some to describe these as “alien beings”, of a reptilian nature. Marija Gimbutas has identified these statues as common to “Old Europe”, a region of Eastern Europe encompassing Greece, Yugoslavia and southern Italy, in the period of 6500-4000 BC, known as the Vinca period. Another object, best described as a chimney with a human face, found at Perillos also sits within this region and era. It is clear that Perillos sits outside this perimeter, which means that the area is either larger than previously thought, or that the statues at some point in time came in Perillos. Whatever scenario is correct, it is clear that someone had a strong desire to place these statues in this cave.

Finally, we note that a person taking a walk discovered several utensils, possibly used by mining prospectors or farmers. They are, however, highly corroded and hence are difficult to be dated or assigned usage.