I remember my opening thought was ‘how am I going to convey the size and beauty of this place with mere photographs!?’

I had never heard of the Gouffre Géant (giant caves) of Cabrespine, though my son had. He’s of the techno-literati who can get detailed information on his iPhone within seconds – all of it relevant to where you are.

We were doing day trips: Father-Son-Grandson (two years old) – from the lovely city of Carcassonne using a small Renault rental car.

I knew there were giant caves here in the Occitanie region of southern France, but I had no idea how beautiful they could be.

The Gouffre géant – a giant underground chasm, is located 25 km from Carcassonne, and its presence dominates the small village of Cabrespine nestled high in the Clamoux gorges, at the foot of the Pic de Nore (1211m), close to the Pyrenees.

Cabrespine’s chasm and cave system is considered one of the ten most beautiful caves in the world and one of the largest – yet, unlike many of its peers, it is open to the public.

Part of the reason for this is the use of non-intrusive but extensive steel barriers to prevent ingress to the more dangerous areas of the cave floor and steep walls.

One of the reasons for this Géant’s success is that you can enter directly into the cave then onto the (optional) steel walkway that penetrates to the middle of the vast space.

To put the size into context, the cave is a near-spherical chamber that would happily swallow the Eiffel Tower… or about fifty Arc De Triomphes!

The tiny figure in the above photo (actually a dummy of a climber) and highlighted by the mauve spotlight is a (literally) moving tribute to the tenacity and bravery of the cavers who discovered the cave in the 1930s, using only hand tools, ropes and pulleys – and that after hiking for twenty miles to get here!

At the bottom of the chasm, there is an underground river with a blue marbled bed. This river continues through the Grotte de Limousis and finally emerges again beneath the Lastours Cathar châteaux, over twenty km away.

The Cabrespine ‘géant’ is famous for its wealth of crystallisations: aragonite, curtains, columns, waterfalls… all stars of the show, as well as the usual display of impossibly old stalagmites and stalagtites.

As per my title for the post, it was far more than a cave. There is a definite ‘hallowed’ feeling about this beautiful and startling space.

In my view, it is impossible not to feel the emotions of awe and wonder of the place. There is a vivid sense of the energy of ‘earth’, in all its meanings…

Truly a temple of the underworld.

(Above: colours in a way you’ve never seen them before)

Emerging from the underground wonder, there is a strong need for refreshments!

-🔷-

©Stephen Tanham 2024

All photos taken and processed on an iPhone 12 ProMax.

Stephen Tanham is a writer-photographer and mystical teacher. He is the founding Director of the Silent Eye, which offers a monthly Zoom-based gathering of companions, each one sharing their own, unique journey to deeper states of self-realisation.