Château de Commarque

Les Eyzies

Built in the 12th century at the request of the abbots of Sarlat to hold back the ambitions of the powerful barons of Beynac, this semi-troglodyte castrum hides beneath its cliff a treasure far older still: a prehistoric cave discovered in August 1915 by the abbe Henri Breuil, the celebrated prehistorian nicknamed 'the pope of prehistory,' who recorded 150 Magdalenian engravings some 15,000 years old. A 15th-century legend tells of the thwarted love between the son of the lord of Beynac and the daughter of the count of Commarque, two rival families at war to expand their territory: on discovering their secret romance, the furious count is said to have had the young man beheaded at the foot of the keep. Ever since, it is said that the victim's horse still gallops among the ruins on full-moon nights, forever searching for its vanished master.

Getting there : Ticketed site

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound