PETRIFYING
Why are there pieces of pottery in the cave?
It dates back to the beginning of the century. Which of Francès, Soulié or Galou was the first to come up with the idea of placing an object under the fountains to petrify it? What an odd idea it was! But a good idea nonetheless! What objects did they place? You'll never guess: bottles! Empty bottles, of course! The bottles that had been emptied during their snack. Because when you went down into a cave to explore – in 1907 –, you had to think that you might begin to "feel peckish" all of a sudden, when you start to get a little tired and you need to regain your strength!
It dates back to the beginning of the century. Which of Francès, Soulié or Galou was the first to come up with the idea of placing an object under the fountains to petrify it? What an odd idea it was! But a good idea nonetheless! What objects did they place? You'll never guess: bottles! Empty bottles, of course! The bottles that had been emptied during their snack. Because when you went down into a cave to explore – in 1907 –, you had to think that you might begin to "feel peckish" all of a sudden, when you start to get a little tired and you need to regain your strength!
And why be weighed down by those empty bottles when going back up? And so they remained in that deep and mysterious den, collecting, without flinching, the waters of what was not yet "the Medusa". And I'm sure the first to be surprised to see their old bottles shining in the light of their candles, when going back down into the " Cro" in spring 1908, were of course Frances, Soulié and Galou!
The glitter that sparkled on these modest litres of wine got them thinking like alchemists and bankers!
That is the story behind the sparkling pieces of pottery that are sold in the souvenir shop, on the Esplanade, and delight our visitors, who are happy to take home a real souvenir from Proumeyssac.
But you should know that the petrifying which occurs in Proumeyssac is not a simple petrifying process, as in other caves. Here, the objects placed underneath the fountains are covered with flecks of calcite. It takes approximately one year of patience before obtaining a sufficient layer of calcite. And during that year, each object must be turned every two weeks for the layer to be even.
Give the water the time it needs to deposit its treasure; just the right amount of water: not too much, not too little, finely sprayed, a certain amount of carbon dioxide in the air, a certain ambient temperature. If all these conditions are met, at the end of the year we'll have beautiful pottery pieces!
But you should know that the petrifying which occurs in Proumeyssac is not a simple petrifying process, as in other caves. Here, the objects placed underneath the fountains are covered with flecks of calcite. It takes approximately one year of patience before obtaining a sufficient layer of calcite. And during that year, each object must be turned every two weeks for the layer to be even.
Give the water the time it needs to deposit its treasure; just the right amount of water: not too much, not too little, finely sprayed, a certain amount of carbon dioxide in the air, a certain ambient temperature. If all these conditions are met, at the end of the year we'll have beautiful pottery pieces!