The « Arcs Saint-Pierre » on the Causse Méjean plateau
Discover the Arcs Saint-Pierre (Saint Peter’s arches), magnificent arches, curiosity of nature created by the dolomite’s erosion. Perhaps they are witnesses to the ebb and flow of the sea that covered the Grands Causses highlands a few million years ago, or even the very ancient witnesses to an underground network that has collapsed today. The fact remains that these 3 arches still sit on the Causse Méjean plateau, in the village of Saint-Pierre des Tripiers. They were rediscovered by Father Solanet. The path that leads there passes in front of a small “baume”, the so-called Cave of the Dead Men. Excavations in the 19th century uncovered some 50 human skeletons from the copper age, around 35,000 years ago. Most of the skulls found here bore traces of trepanation, as in the Baumes Chaudes in the Tarn river Canyon.