Villages of Perigord

©Titia Carrizey-Jasick

“My parents steeped me in history since the cradle.Then

I was lucky enough to meet Abbot Breuil.Growing up,

I naturally became interested in the origins of man and

in cave dwellings.I wouldn’t say that I am the owner of

these sites as such,even though they are indeed mine,the

Cro-Magnon Shelter

,and the Roc de Cazelle

,both of

which I restored.I see myself more of a temporary caretaker

of Heritage and History.The sites such as Les Eyzies and its

majestic setting are eternal! Here under the cliffs,we realise

the millennia that come between us and our ancestors,and

we reconnect with our roots.”

In 1868, during the construction of the neighbouring

railway on the way into the village of Eyzies, five human

skeletons were discovered under the Cro-Magnon

rock shelter, on the road towards Tayac.“Cro” means

“hollow” in Occitan and “Magnon” is probably the name

of the landowner. Despite his age—35,000 years—the

Man of Cro-Magnon or more precisely “Homo sapiens

sapiens”… is just like us!

“Simply a caretaker

of History”

Jean-Max-Touron,

owner of prehistoric

and troglodytic sites

Our Ancestor

Cro-Magnon

Outside Sireuil in the Beune Valley, the site of Commarque

, bears in its rocks and in its walls the trace of human

intervention over the centuries. Recent restoration

projects have done nothing to spoil the site’s fascinating

atmosphere. The mysteries of centuries unfold; from the

first troglodytic shelters to the narrow streets of a fortified

medieval castrum, and then, from stone keep to a knights’

residence. After a walk in the surrounding woodland, the

vision of the settlement is just unforgettable. New in 2016,

after a year of renovation, the tour of the main building’s

living quarters.

Commarque, the Layers of Time

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

24+1 VILLAGES OF PÉRIGORD