St Michael's Cave
Come And Visit The Amazing Natural Phenomenon Known As St Michael's Cave!
The awe inspiring St Michael's Cave, is one of the finest examples of a limestone cave in the world and as a result, is one of the top Gibraltar attractions. In reality, it isn't one cave but a whole series of them. It is located in the upper rock, which is all part of the Upper Rock Nature Reserve of Gibraltar. The cave sits around 300 metres above sea level. The name of the cave comes from a similar cave found in Monte Gargano, Apuilia Italy and mythology has it, that this is where the angel Gabriel showed himself.
So how old are the caves?
There have been discoveries of a Neolithic bowl within the cave as recent as 1974 and cave drawings picturing Ibex have also been discovered. These can both be traced back to the Solutrean period and therefore date the caves to somewhere between fifteen and twenty thousand years ago. However, more recently two Neanderthal skulls were found near to the cave, which could date the caves to much earlier that this, around 40,000 BC.
How were they formed?
The caves were created by a slow continuous seepage of water dripping through the rock. The rainwater turned into a solution of carbonic acid, which proceeded to melt the limestone rock. Over the many thousands of years, the small cracks became deep caverns and this also resulted in the amazing stalactites and stalagmites that you see today.
Early explorations and uses of the Cave
The earliest written mention of St Michael's Cave was by a Roman Geographer called Pomponius Mela, who hailed from Algeciras and died in 45AD. Homer the Greek poet also wrote of the 'wondrous caverns that adorn this landscape'. Since then many people have tried to map out the extent of the caves, but without success. It is said to have been the point from which Berber General Tariq Ibn Ziyad led the Umayyad conquest back in 711AD. In the early part of the eighteenth century Spanish/French forces, numbering over 500, successfully concealed themselves here overnight, before making an unsuccessful attack on the British garrison. During the Victorian period, explorations into the caves were starting to take place and in 1840 Colonel Mitchell and his second officer went into the cave on an exploring mission, but tragically were never seen again.
About 100 years later (1936) a scientific type expedition was undertaken to try and find the two missing bodies. They explored every part of the cave that was known to them at the time but with no avail. Going back to the Victorian era, people would take great delight in using the caverns for entertainment, including picnics and weddings, and even duels were reported to have been fought here. The cave interior would be brightly lit just as it is today. Finally, during WWII the caves were kitted out for use as a military hospital. Thankfully, they were never used.
And so... to the present day
The caves are one of the most popular Gibraltar tours, and now house an auditorium in the largest of the chambers known as 'Cathedral Cave'. It has housed endless light shows, Miss Gibraltar beauty pageants, a variety of music bands and even a complete Philharmonic orchestra. The caves are one of the top attractions and the reason why many travel to Gibraltar. They regularly receive more than one million visitors every single year and the various displays explain to visitors the cave's long and chequered history. It is possible to reach St Michael's Cave in a variety of ways. So whether you get here by foot, cable car, taxi or car, it is well worth a visit. Tickets cost around £8.00 per person but are subject to seasonal changes. Included in this price you get access to other sights such as the Moorish Castle and the Great Siege Tunnels.
Photos By Leo Hayes
Check out this St Michael's Cave Video:
Created by Gold Productions Studios
