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"The chasm was created by the collapse of the roof of a vast underground cavity.

For centuries it was a source of superstition among the locals who believed that Satan created it to trick St-Martin.  St. Martin was returning empty-handed from the Causses region where he had tried to save the lost souls of local peasants.  He was almost taken aback as his mule suddenly refused to move.  Satan had appeared in the middle of the road carrying a bag full of lost souls.

The opportunity was too good for St. Martin; he begged the devil to give him the lost souls he was carrying to hell.  But the cunning devil proposed a deal to the holy man.
 
He would give the bag on the condition that St. Martin’s mule successfully jumped over a precipice he, the devil, was to create on the spot!

The brave animal took a huge leap over the chasm, leaving only the mark of his hooves where he landed!

A deal was a deal.

Defeated, Satan could not retract his word and handed the bag to St. Martin and disappeared into the abyss back to the underworld.

The proof that this legend is true is that the mule’s hoof prints are apparently still visible…"

                                                                                  – Source Wikimedia Commons

Discovery of the Chasm

Traditions - or superstitions - die hard.

It was only on July 9, 1889, that the French speleologist Edouard Martel investigated the chasm after a major flooding of the underground river.

The Gouffre de Padirac was open to the public on April 10, 1899.

Today more than 400,000 visitors visit Padirac each year.

The many explorations conducted since its discovery have uncovered a 22km long network of galleries.

The Gouffre de Padirac is considered one of the major French geological curiosities and ranked as the first underground Heritage Site of France.


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Padirac Chasm

 
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Eiffel type staircase
The bottom of the Gouffre de Padirac is accessible by elevators as well as by a 455-step Eiffel type staircase.  It is only when at the bottom of the chasm that you can fully appreciate its magnitude when you look up at the walls covered here and there with lush vegetation at the opening of the chasm.

An elevated footbridge runs above the huge piles of rocks produced by the collapse of the ceiling and leads down to the entrance to the underground galleries. 

Smooth River – Rivière Plane.
 
Another set of steps (and an elevator) access the Spring Gallery – Galerie de la Source.

The long and narrow corridor slopes towards the pier where boats are waiting to take the visitors along a 400m underground ride at 103m below ground level along the Smooth River – Rivière Plane.

The river depth varies from 50cm to 6m but its temperature remains constant at 12ºC.

Rainfall Lake – Lac de la Pluie and Great Pendant-Grande Pendeloque


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Drapery or Flowstone known as Saracen’s Tent in Luray Caverns – Source Wikimedia Commons

The giant stalactite known as Great Pendant – Grande Pendeloque is the first of a series of impressive rock concretions visitors come across as they land on a small pier.  The 78m tall stalactite is suspended above the river and seems to defy all laws of gravity.

Great Pillar – Grand Pilier in Crocodile Path – Pas du Crocodile


In the low-ceiling cavities, stalactites and stalagmites eventually meet and form columns or pillars such as the 40m high Great Pillar – Grand Pilier in the narrow Crocodile Path – Pas du Crocodile.
Their diameters grow indefinitely and can reach amazing sizes.


Chasm


The visit of Padirac is a fantastic experience but it is not for people with walking disabilities because of the boat ride, the many steps to climb and the uneven underground path.

It is also advised to wear warm clothes as the temperature of the cave remains constant at 12C.

N.B. Photos are not allowed inside Padirac, so the Wikimedia photos of rock concretions are not all of the Gouffre of Padirac but other caves, in France or other countries.

– Source Wikimedia Commons