The highlight of my trip to Chartres last week besides Chartres en Lumieres was a visit to an enchanted cottage straight out of a storybook.
Maison Picassiette is an off the beaten path treasure about a ten-minute bus ride from the center of the old town. Its beginning is humble; Raymond Isidore, a local resident of Chartres born in 1900, purchased a small parcel of land in 1930 and built a modest house for his wife and family. A few years later while walking through a field, he discovered a junk pile of glass bottles, broken ceramic dishes, and bottle caps. Deciding that they shouldn’t be discarded and wasted, he started to adorn his house with his found objects in an artistic fashion. Isidore spent the next 24 years and 29,000 hours transforming his house into a mosaic heaven, using 15 tons of materials. Unfortunately, Isidore died in 1964 only two years after he completed the house. In 1983 it was landmarked as a historic monument and is now owned by the city of Chartres.
The name Picassiette is derived from pique-assiette (scavenger) and Picasso and his plates.
All the furniture in the house is made of mosaics and the chapel has superb murals in beautiful hues of blue, reminding me of a Matisse chapel I visited in the south of France. The garden was a spring delight of tulips, hydrangeas, and Queen Anne’s lace with mosaic sculptures including on the Eiffel Tower interspersed in between. Another wall had a replica of the rose stained glass window from Chartres Cathedral.
Another must visit place in Chartres.
22 Rue du Repos, 28000
Check link below for opening times
https://www.discover-chartres.com/maison-picassiette.html
Directions: Take Filibus line 4 direction La Madeleine from across the street from the train station and get off at Picassiette bus stop.
Lost in Frenchlation, the weekly film seires with current French films with English subtitles is giving away two free tickets for this weeks film.
*2x2 TICKETS GIVEAWAY* With 'Tout le Monde Debout', Franck Dubosc gets 'Everyone Standing'! The film previewed at the Alpe-d’Huez festival (International comedy film festival) and was a pure success hailed by an enthusiastic public. On Friday 11 May, Lost in Frenchlation will bring you this new French cheerful comedy with English subtitles, with a stand-up comedy show in English before the film! To enter the competition, just tag a friend you would like to go with in the comments below. Winners will be announced tomorrow at 6pm.☞ https://www.facebook.com/
Please click here to watch my latest episode of A Bite of Paris with my guest Adrian Leeds
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