Grottes du Cornadore

Useful Information

Location:	In the village Saint-Nectaire. (45.588001, 2.990612)
Open:	FEB to JUN daily 10-12, 14-18. 01-JUL to 12-JUL daily 10-12, 14-19. 13-JUL to 22-AUG daily 10-19. 23-AUG to 31-AUG daily 10-12, 14-19. SEP to OCT daily 10-12, 14-17. 11-NOV to 13-NOV daily 10-12, 14-18. 18-DEC to 31-DEC daily 10-12, 14-18. Closed 25-DEC. Tours hourly on the hour. [2011]
Fee:	Adults EUR 4.90, Children (0-12) EUR 3.40. Groups (10+): School Pupils EUR 3, minimum payment EUR 30. Reduced online tickets on website. [2010]
Classification:	Water Supply
Light:	LED Lighting
Dimension:
Guided tours:	D=35 min.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Les grottes de Cornadore, Route de Murol, 63710 Saint-Nectaire, Tel: +33-473-885797, Fax: +33-473-885431. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1st century	caves excavated by the Romans.
2019	LED light installed.

Description

The Grottes du Cornadore (Caves of Cornadore) look like natural caves with speleothems, but actually these are underground Roman baths, fed by two thermal mineral springs of 22 °C. The Romans used the sulfur rich springs for medicinal purposes, the arsenic and lime was thought to cure kidney diseases. They constructed baths inside the cavern, two of which are shown on the tour. The cave is located in the granite complex of Saint Nectaire, which means there is no geologic process which could form such caves naturally.

The caves contains numerous speleothems. They formed during the last 2,000 years from the mineral rich water entering the caverns. There are limestone formations like stalactites and stalagmites, but also pisolites (cave perls) and aragonite flowers. Wooden water channels and staircases are covered by limestone deposits and look like petrified.