Le Palais Ideal du Facteur Cheval– The work of one man
I had read about this place and was intrigued. Mapping out our road trip from Lyon to Provence I could see that it was a good option for our first stop.
The village of Hauterives, above and below
After an early checkout from our Lyon hotel, we picked a local artisan boulangerie close by to purchase a quick French breakfast. We chose two croissants and espressos. I couldn’t resist purchasing a Brioche Praline, a soft bun sprinkled with the candied pink nuts, a speciality of Lyon. We ate breakfast in the van and headed south.
After a drive, mostly through countryside, we arrived in the small village of Hauterives. We found a bar and purchased espressos and shared the Brioche aux Praline roses before heading to the Palais Ideal at opening time, 09:30am.
Le Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval
History
Ferdinand Cheval, aged 43, was a country postman. One day he stumbled upon a stone during his postal rounds and decided to pick it up. He spent the next 33 years collecting rocks to build his fairy tale palace in what was the vegetable patch of his home. He was inspired by the countryside he walked every day, along with pictures from the magazines and postcards that he delivered. Read more of his early life here.
C’est moi at Le Palai Idéal du Facteur Cheval in June 2024
Above and below, on the eastern facade of the Palais. The Barbary Columns (above and left) and The Three Giants - César, Vercingétorix and Archiméde below.
Take a look at this YouTube video
“In the evening at nightfall when mankind is at rest, I work on my palace.
My pains will be known to no-one” - Ferdinand Cheval.
In 1912, he completed the palace. “1879-1912, 10,000 days, 93,000 hours, 33 years of trials: let anyone more stubborn than me set to work” - Ferdinand Cheval.
Following the completion of his palace at age 76, Ferdinand spent the next 8 years building his own tomb. He died in 1924 at the age of 88 and is buried in the local cemetery, 900m from the palace.
Apart from the palace, there is a garden, museum and shop. Then we headed further south into the Drôme region marvelling at the many purple fields each side of the motorway. Yes. We were in lavender country. Bliss.
More about this in coming posts.
Next time, we will continue on our road trip further south. Please join me as I introduce you to Grignan - A gem in the Drôme. À bientôt.
