The postman spent 33 years building a palace from stones he collected on his way to work (26 photos)

Think of the most extravagant home you'll ever have seen. This is probably a large and beautiful building, created with a huge attention to detail. Probably built by some talented architect. But what would you say if an ordinary postman built a beautiful palace made of pebbles found on the side of the road?





But this is a completely real story. In the commune of Hauterives France is a masterpiece of naive architecture, listed historical monuments. It is called the "Ideal Palace" and built him in the period from 1879 to 1912, the eccentric postman Ferdinand Cheval.

Ferdinand Cheval built this magnificent palace stone by stone starting in 1879.



Cheval acted as a designer, an architect, and a builder of this palace





He called it "Ideal Palace" ("Palais Ideal")



It all started like this. One day the postman stumbled on the road on a stone and almost fell. The stone attracted him with its unusual shape, and he I decided to take it with me, calling it a "stumbling block"



The next day, returning by the same route, Cheval noticed several more stones of amazing shape.



And I thought: since nature is able to "make sculptures", then why not try his hand at design and construction fairy tale building, for which he drew inspiration from art travel postcards



Over the next thirty-three years, Ferdinand Cheval almost daily picked up unusual stones during his work detours



At first he carried them in his pockets, and then he began to carry a basket or come for large finds with a wheelbarrow



In the evenings after work, Cheval was engaged in the construction his architectural marvel. He was so carried away that he often worked even at night. by the light of a kerosene lamp



The locals considered him an eccentric and even crazy.



Cheval took 20 years to complete the external walls of his palace. Fortunately, he built it near his home in Drome



The ideal palace is a combination of different architectural styles



Its appearance was influenced by scenes from the Bible (caves Saint-Amede and the Virgin Mary, Golgotha, evangelists, etc.), and motives Hindu and ancient Egyptian mythology



The building is 12 meters high and 26 meters long.



The main building material is the stones that Cheval collected on the roads



Various parts were attached to each other with lime, mortar, cement and metal fittings.



Even after Cheval completed his palace, he spent another 8 years building a mausoleum in the village cemetery. There he was buried in 1924. Since then the palace has been declared monument of history and culture



In the early 1930s, the work received favorable reviews from several well-known artists.



eidThe real palace was much praised by Pablo Picasso and André Breton



Artist Max Ernst, who was in these places during during the German occupation, was so fascinated by the building that he dedicated one of my paintings



After the end of World War II, the Ideal Palace became one of the highlights of the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region.



Thousands of people specially come to Hauterives to admire the masterpieces built by Cheval



In 2018, a feature film by Niels Tavernier starring Jacques Hamblen was released, telling the story of Cheval



The painting is called Ferdinand Cheval's Ideal Palace and It shows in detail the various stages of construction of this architectural masterpiece



After the death of Cheval, the Palace became the property of two of his granddaughters. One of them in 1984 bequeathed her share to the commune of Hauterives. Second in 1994, she sold her share to the commune. Since then, the owner The ideal palace are the local authorities