Grande grotte d'Arcy, Cave system in Arcy-sur-Cure, France.

Grande Grotte is a cave system in Arcy-sur-Cure with multiple interconnected chambers formed by natural geological processes over millions of years. The rooms contain stalagmites, stalactites, and other limestone formations that create an underground landscape of natural sculpture.

The cave's paintings were discovered in 1990 beneath centuries-old layers of limestone, hidden from view until then. Dominique Baffier and Michel Girard photographed them through the calcite using infrared-sensitive film, after which the coating was carefully removed; the figures beneath proved well preserved. The paintings date to about 28,000 years ago, the oldest known in France after Chauvet and the oldest open to the public there. Engravings in the cave predate the paintings.

The name Grande Grotte simply distinguishes the largest cave of the Arcy-sur-Cure group. Its walls carry about 28,000-year-old paintings, mostly mammoths, found in 1990 under layers of calcite; Dominique Baffier and Michel Girard photographed them through the coating with infrared-sensitive film before it was removed. Earlier engravings lie beneath the paintings.

Visits follow a marked pathway through the chambers and are designed to accommodate different levels of mobility. The temperature stays cool year-round, so bringing a light jacket or warm layer is wise regardless of the season.

The cave's paintings stayed hidden under centuries-old layers of limestone until 1990, when Dominique Baffier and Michel Girard photographed them through the calcite using infrared-sensitive film. The coating was then carefully removed, revealing well-preserved figures; nearly half of the animals depicted are mammoths.