Lescure, Ariège

The Sorcerer is one name for an enigmatic cave painting found in the cavern known as 'The Sanctuary' at the Cave of the Trois-Frères, Ariège, France, made around 13,000 BCE. The figure's significance is unknown, but it is usually interpreted as some kind of great spirit or master of animals. The unusual nature of The Sanctuary's decoration may also reflect the practice of magical ceremonies in the chamber. In his sketches of the cave art, Henri Breuil drew a horned humanoid torso and the publication of this drawing in the 1920s influenced many subsequent theories about the figure. However, Breuil's sketch has also come under criticism in recent years. A single prominent human figure is unusual in the cave paintings of the Upper Paleolithic, where the great majority of representations are of animals.

The Cave of the Trois-Frères is a cave in southwestern France famous for its cave paintings. It is located in Montesquieu-Avantès, in the Ariège département. The cave is named for three brothers (French: trois frères, pronounced [tʁwɑ fʁɛʁ]), Max, Jacques, and Louis Begouën, who, along with their father Comte Henri Begouën, discovered it in 1914. The drawings of the cave were made famous in the publications of the Abbé Henri Breuil. The cave art appears to date to approximately 13,000 BC.

Montesquieu-Avantès (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃tɛskjø avɑ̃tɛs]) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.

Rivèrenert (French pronunciation: [ʁivɛʁnɛʁ]; Occitan: Ribèra Nert) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.

Rimont (French pronunciation: [ʁimɔ̃]) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.

Contrazy (French pronunciation: [kɔ̃tʁazi]; Occitan: Contrasi) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.

Encourtiech is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.

Erp (French pronunciation: [ɛʁp]; Occitan: Èrp) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.

Montjoie-en-Couserans (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃ʒwa ɑ̃ kuzʁɑ̃], literally Montjoie in Couserans; Occitan: Montjòi de Coserans) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France, in the northwest of the Ariège department, in the Occitanie region. Historically and culturally, the town is part of Couserans, an area with Gascon roots structured by the course of the Salat. Exposed to an altered oceanic climate, it is drained by the Volp, the Baup, the Badech stream, the Birosse stream and various other small rivers. Included in the Ariège Pyrenees regional natural park, the town has a remarkable natural heritage: a protected area (the “crayfish streams: Artix, Moulicot and Volp”) and six natural areas of ecological, faunal and floral beauty. Montjoie-en-Couserans is a rural commune which had 1,010 inhabitants in 2020, after having experienced a sharp increase in population since 1975. It is part of the Saint-Girons catchment area. Its inhabitants are called Montjoliens or Montjoliennes. The architectural heritage of the town includes two buildings protected as historic monuments: the Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption church, listed in 1901, and the City Gate, listed in 1965.

Eycheil (French pronunciation: [ejʃɛj]; Occitan: Eishèlh) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.

Clermont (French pronunciation: [klɛʁmɔ̃] ; Occitan: Clarmont) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.

Lacourt (French pronunciation: [lakuʁ]; Occitan: La Cort) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.