Glacière de la Grâce-Dieu, A cave in the Doubs, France

The Glacière de la Grâce-Dieu is a limestone cave in the Doubs region of France situated at about 525 meters elevation, with the main chamber extending southward from the entrance. A marked trail with stairs guides visitors into the interior, where cool damp air maintains a temperature around five degrees Celsius and fossil remains are visible in the rock formations.

The cave formed in Middle Jurassic horizontal limestones, when a dry valley upstream ended in a sinkhole and the collapse of the gallery enlarged the chamber. Ice was harvested from the 16th to the 19th century, mainly for hospitals, which used it as an anaesthetic. Until 1725 extraction was free; the owner Coste tried to charge for it, but intendant Charles de la Neuville ruled that locals could keep taking the ice. Up to 190 tonnes were extracted in the best years, and the ice has completely disappeared since 2005.

Vellerot villagers were long required to carry a 5-6 pound block of ice from the cave to Besançon every 3 August, for the Mass of the Invention of the relics of Saint Stephen. The offering was said to atone for the murder of a canon by villagers; in 1554 Vellerot was fined 20 livres for neglecting it for two years.

The cave is reached at 525 m altitude and slopes down 60 m to the bottom chamber, along a path with many stairs over scree. Access has been closed since early 2026 pending a resumption of activity, so check before travelling. On the right-hand wall, a large recess reveals fossils, including dinosaur remains, and the stalactites above the bottom chamber.

The entrance faces north, so the cold bise wind enters and, being denser than warm air, stays trapped at the bottom of the chamber 60 metres below. Ice was cut into blocks, carried out on men's backs then with a winch, and up to 190 tonnes were extracted in the best years. The last ice disappeared in 2005.