Last Judgment Cave, Cave with rock carvings in Brantôme en Périgord, France
The Grotte du jugement dernier is a cave carved into the cliff face near the abbey of Brantôme en Périgord, featuring two large bas-reliefs cut directly into the rock. One depicts a Christ figure, and the other shows a skeleton holding a scythe, surrounded by angels and figures rising from tombs.
The cave was used by monks of the Brantôme abbey, who settled into the local cliff cavities from the 8th century onward. The carvings were made in the late Middle Ages, a period marked by war and plague, when images of death carried strong religious meaning.
The cave entrance is located within the Brantôme abbey grounds, accessible through the local tourist office. Wear sturdy shoes as the ground can be uneven, and bring a light layer since the inside stays cool even in summer.
The Christ figure at the top of the main relief was never finished, giving the whole carving an unusually raw look. The cave also contains around 240 small niches called boulins, originally used as a dovecote and once counted as a measure of land ownership.
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