Trou du Diable (, Devil's Hole) is a cave situated in Portneuf Regional Natural Park, in Saint-Casimir, Quebec, Canada.
Speleology
Speleology and caving are the study and exploration of caves. Caution is required, as caves are dangerous places which carry risks of serious injury or even death. The cave is only accessible by guided tours offered by the Portneuf Regional Natural Park.
The underground cave environment is a natural laboratory for caving, geomorphology, geology, biology, climatology and other disciplines.
The is the second-largest cave in Quebec, with a little over a kilometer of underground galleries, it is located east of the village of Saint-Casimir.
The cave features a network of dry galleries, the most typical of which is the pot gallery with forms of vortex erosion. Certain parts of the cave have vast dimensions. Within the cave, underground tributaries join the main channel. The concretions are mediocre, which testifies to the significance of dissolution action.
Folklore
Caves are often associated with legends and superstitions of all kinds. Dragons, sorcerers and devils are believed to like the Quebec caves called Fairy Hole, Devil's Hole, and Bottomless Hole. Of Devil's Hole cave, it is said that:
The stream is used to quench the thirst of the damned. The noises heard inside the cave are those of souls forgotten in purgatory. The water vapor escaping through the openings, including the Devil's chimney, comes from hell.
It is also said that: When New France was discovered, people thought they had found a virgin continent, an earthly paradise, a place where malevolent minds had not set foot. ...
Rather, [the Devil] had taken refuge on this land, enjoying a place where he could take some time off, telling himself that the most prosecuted entity of this world certainly deserved this perfect sanctuary. This is how the Devil found a home in an endless cavern, at the base of a waterfall where he was sheltered by an immense and eternal whirlpool. There he found tranquility and peace, as well as a place where he could drink and feast without being disturbed.
Sometimes he even allowed himself to torment some poor, lost souls who had the misfortune of falling into the waterfall. ...
They called that place 'The Den of Evil Manitous'. Later, it was named the '', meaning the Devil's den. People said it would forever imprison those who fell into it. The Iroquois threw into it the remains of Father Buteux.
References
External links Library and National Archives of Quebec (BAnQ), Fonds G.-Robert Tessier (1926_2015), serious amateur historian of Saint-Casimir Saint-Casimir History and Genealogy Society (SHGSC) 2023 Quebec Speleology Society 2024, Devil's Hole, details of the adventure course Excursion to the Devil's Hole Quebec in Photos, description and images Spéléo Québec - La Société québécoise de spéléologie (SQS), a private non-profit organization founded in 1970.
Legends and culture Translation from French to French, a Franco-Quebec language guide, The devil in Quebec expressions Richard Lavoie 1989 The Devil's Hole, movie, documentaries, fiction, General Society of Cultural Industries (Quebec) Jean-Claude Dupont 1985, Legends from the heart of Quebec Tourisme Mauricie 2024, 13 legends of Mauricie and places that give you goosebumps