Born in 1836, the factorCheval tried his hand at several jobs before delivering mail. Initially a baker, he became a letter carrier and was transferred to Hauterives in 1878. It is in this small peaceful commune inthe north of the Drôme that his dream will begin…
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Meeting a creator and dreamer
Ferdinand Cheval
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One day in April 1879
Joseph Ferdinand Cheval sends a letter to the departmental archivist in which he explains what happened to him on one of his tours…
Letter carrier Cheval in front of his Palace postcardI was walking fast, when my foot caught something that sent me rolling a few meters away. I wanted to know the cause. I was very surprised to see that I had brought out of the ground a stone with such a strange shape, at the same time so picturesque that I looked around me. I saw that it was not alone.
Letter carrier by day
Architect by nightThe day he stumbles, he takes the stone and leaves. The next day, he returns to the same place to take more. He then begins this titanic construction site that will last 33 years, the Ideal Palace not being completed until 1912. Every day during his tour, he locates and collects stones with a basket or his wheelbarrow. After his day, he turns into an architect and builds the palace of his dreams. Hard hit by family hardships, he still finds the courage to build for 8 years what will be his tomb, at the entrance of the communal cemetery. He died shortly after its completion, on August 19, 1924.
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