In 1992, French architect Jacques Garcia purchased an estate in Normandy called the Château du Champ de Bataille, designed in 1652 by Louis Le Vau, who also designed the Palace of Versailles. Considered the world’s most expensive house, Château du Champ de Bataille comprises 40 bedrooms, five living rooms, two dining rooms, a castle, an Indian palace, a grotto, gardens, a Greek theater, and a greenhouse. The estate changed hands several times following the fall of the French royal family during the French Revolution. Later, it served as a hospital during World War II before it was abandoned. After owning the complex, Garcia restored the structures and built a grotto out of boredom in 2020, during the pandemic.
Upon purchasing Château du Champ de Bataille, Jacques Garcia used the estate as his canvas, adding another elaborate scene as his time allowed. The basalt grotto is one of his late projects, built between 2010 and 2020.
The basalt-encrusted grotto is disguised by the greenery growing atop of a rusticated arcade. Waterfalls cascade down the volcanic rock of this arcade. The interior of the grotto resembles a temple with all the columns and also the statues of Greek gods. The structure mimics a volcano with the oculus on top of the grotto and schist stalagmites rising from limestone, marble, and red-brick floor. The columns and the statues tucked into niches surround a central space that was intended as a stage for short and intimate performances.
