Grotte de l'Apothicairerie, Sea cave in Belle-Ile-en-Mer, France
The Grotte de l'Apothicairerie is a sea cave with two interconnected chambers that pass through a rocky promontory on the Atlantic coast. The cavern system connects different points along the shoreline, creating a natural passage through the stone.
In the late 1700s, tourists arrived by boat from Sauzon to hunt the numerous birds nesting inside the cave. This hunting practice defined the site's early tourism period.
The cave's name comes from the bird nests lining its walls, which resembled the medicinal jars displayed in old pharmacies. Visitors could once observe these nests as a distinctive feature of the site.
The stone stairway carved into the rock at the cave entrance is closed to visitors due to slippery conditions and safety concerns. You can view the cave from outside, but interior access is not permitted at this time.
A historic hotel near the cave where actress Sarah Bernhardt stayed was replaced with a modern building in 1982 and later torn down in 2012. The location was once a destination for notable travelers of the 19th century.
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