How a French postman single-handedly built a palace: Ferdinand Cheval and his dream

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

A person devoted to his dream is capable of anything! This was the opinion of the postman Ferdinand Cheval, who at the end of the 19th century single-handedly built his own fantastic palace. This story has everything - prophetic dreams, and divine providence, and incredible perseverance … But the main thing is sincere faith in oneself, capable of destroying any obstacles.

Ferdinand Cheval was not afraid of any work - after all, he worked hard and hard since childhood. He was born in 1836 to the family of a poor farmer. From the age of thirteen he worked as a baker's assistant, tried to engage in agriculture, but did not particularly succeed. At the age of twenty-two, he got married, had two sons with his wife … After the death of his eldest child, he and his family moved to Autriv, where he found the place of work, which he did not change for many years later - he became a postman. Cheval, in general, did not have enough stars from the sky, but deep down he knew that he was destined for a different fate. Sometimes, taking a break from the day's work, he saw a dream - always the same. In a dream, Cheval was building a castle, stone by stone, beautiful and strange, like an ancient temple. These dreams filled his soul with vague anxiety and at the same time with joy. And there was something excruciatingly sweet in them, something that did not allow him to share this funny story with his wife or colleagues. "Well, you freak out, Ferdinand!" they would say. And that would break his heart.

Every day he walked thirty kilometers - he didn't even have a bicycle. He dreamily examined postcards from distant countries, delivering mail to addressees, skimmed through newspaper articles on the latest achievements in architecture … and often forgot to look under his feet. He was fascinated by the unusual shape of the stone. The postman slipped it into his pocket to admire at his leisure. After all, there wasn't much beauty in his life! The next day, led by some force, in the same place he found several more interesting stones. It was sandstone, formed by water and hardened by the power of time, hard and durable. The most sophisticated mind would not be able to imagine these fantastic forms.

Collecting and examining the stones, Cheval felt such joy, was so unusually happy that, on reflection, he decided - it means something. I also remembered old dreams about a magical structure … "Since nature is capable of creating a masterpiece, I will also do it!" Cheval decided. After all, nature does not need a sculptor's diploma to create something beautiful - is it really not going to cope? However, the modest salary of the postman was not enough. And, walking along the road, Cheval now gazed intently at his feet. And sometimes he went out to deliver mail, grabbing a wheelbarrow, and returned home with a heavy load. He collected stones, and in his mind the outlines of his future creation were more and more clearly revealed.

As time went. He was widowed and remarried. The dowry of his second wife allowed him to buy a small plot of land. The idea is ripe for implementation. For thirty-three years the postman and dreamer Joseph Ferdinand Cheval built his Ideal Palace. For ten thousand days, ninety-three thousand hours, thirty-three years he worked tirelessly - so says the inscription carved by him on the wall of the Ideal Palace. During the day he delivered mail, and at night he lit an oil lamp and fitted one stone to another.

So the outer walls, more than twelve meters high, were decorated with primitive sculptures - on each he carved a name, and therefore the palace is guarded by Vercingetorix, Archimedes and Caesar. Ferdinand Cheval never traveled, never saw with his own eyes the great creations of architecture - neither Gothic cathedrals, nor ancient temples of the East, nor buildings of modern geniuses. He did not even graduate from school, where during the years of study he was in the clouds more than he mastered literacy.

However, researchers compare his Ideal Palace with the Cathedral of the Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudí - nothing more, nothing less. Some parts of its Palace remind of Berber architecture, and right there - graceful spiral staircases, cement sculptures of swans … You can also see other animals - ostriches, camels, octopuses, dragons and bears, carved on the walls. Each of the animals was associated with a Christian idea.

The interiors of the palace are as unusual as the exterior. Round window-holes allow sunlight to freely penetrate into the palace and paint its interior with warm shades. The ceiling is decorated with patterns of pebbles and seashells. Here and there there are lines of poetry, apparently composed by Cheval himself. They talk about how proud he is of his work - "Ecstasy of a beautiful dream, reward for efforts", "Palace of the Imagination", "Temple of Life", "The Work of One Man" … On the east side of the palace is the Temple of Nature in the Egyptian style, where the guest they meet two waterfalls - the Source of Life and the Source of Wisdom, named so by their creator.

Cheval dreamed of being buried in his palace. He understood that he was no longer destined to enjoy life there for a long time. However, every French citizen should rest in a specially designated place - and nothing else! Therefore, for eight more years, Cheval erected a wonderful family tomb in the Otriva cemetery. And, having finished the work, putting down his trowel, he died.

Ferdinand Cheval found his last refuge in his luxurious mausoleum, and his grandiose creation took on a life of its own. The ideal Palace of the French postman enthralled avant-garde artists. The surrealists vied with each other to admire him and dedicated their works to Cheval. Pablo Picasso created a series of drawings in which he captured the story of a dreamer postman. They make documentaries and write books about the Ideal Palace, and the portrait of its creator adorns postage stamps in France. British singer-songwriter Will Varley dedicated a song to Cheval. In 1969, the Ideal Palace was declared a Cultural Heritage Site in France, and today it is open to visitors.