Rome was n't built in day , and it certainly was n't for rural postman Ferdinand Cheval , who dedicated 33 years of his life constructing an incredible limestone palace , complete with pillars , buttresses and grottoes . The widower would often find unusually shaped rocks as he delivered mail in France , and ended up pushing a wheelbarrow each day on his 18-mile route to collect stones of beauty . What started as a small hobby , soon became a life project in 1879 , resulting in one of the most magnificent amateur architectural structures to date ; Le Palais idéal . Scroll down for video . A postman in France spent 33 years constructing a lavish grotto , complete with pillars , towers and buttresses . Le Palais idéal features mythical creatures , inspired from the postcards and magazines he had to deliver on his postal route in France . From a glance you would be mistaken for thinking this was an Angkor palace , as the grotto has influences from Hinduism . Ferdinand Cheval left school at age 13 to become a baker 's apprentice , but ended up delivering mail in the Hauterives area . The idea for the elaborate cathedral came when he tripped over an unusually shaped rock in his 30s . He later wrote in his journal : ' I wanted to know the cause . In a dream I had built a palace , a castle or caves . I told no one about it for fear of being ridiculed and I felt ridiculous myself . ' I said to myself : since Nature is willing to do the sculpture , I will do the masonry and the architecture . ' Cheval would haul his findings to a site in Hauterives every day after work , and thus began the ambitious 33 year project , completed with no outside help . The dedicated builder would often have to work well into the night , by the light of an oil lamp , but that did n't deter him from his mission . Cheval would construct the palace at night , after work , by the light of oil lamps . In 1969 , André Malraux , the Minister of Culture , declared the Palais a cultural landmark and had it officially protected . The website for the palace states it was built with no architectural rules and is regarded as a great example of outsider artwork . Due to the long hours of the project , the widower left his son in the care of godparents , in order to be able to focus his energies on his work . The outer walls , measuring 24 metres in length , and 10 metres high , took 22 years to complete , with Cheval binding the stones together with lime , mortar and cement . Le Palais idéal is as intricate as it is vast , and includes sculptures of exotic animals and mythical creatures , which were inspired by the postcards he delivered , and with influences from Christianity and Hinduism . The structure is beloved by visitors today , 100 years after it was constructed , and was even featured on the french stamp in 1986 . When Cheval died , he requested that he could be buried at the palace . Sadly it was not permitted and the talented constructor ended up building his own mausoleum for himself in the cemetery where he was buried after his death in 1924 , a year after finishing the palace . The structure is beloved by visitors today , 100 years after it was constructed , and was even featured on the french stamp in 1986 . Perhaps most poignant explanation for the architectural wonder is the inscription carved into the palace by Cheval : 'The dream of one man . '
Rural postman Ferdinand Cheval collected stones in a wheelbarrow during his 18-mile post route . Le Palais idéal still stands in Hauterives in France , 100 years after it was finished in 1912 . The whimsical 24 metre palace is adorned in fanciful statues resembling ostriches , elephants and bears .