2020 Jardins William Christie DSC6316 Lionel Hug

The Cyclops Wall
 
 

Built from heavy natural stones, this wall visible from the river bank takes its name from the monumental constructions in Argos and Arcadia typically attributed to the Cyclops. But it also has very local origins: its stones, collected by William Christie from the surrounding fields, long ago lay under the sea that covered the plains of Vendée…

  • 2020 Jardins William Christie DSC6292 Lionel Hug

    Le Mur des Cyclopes (© Lionel Hug)


  • 2020 Jardins William Christie DSC6316 Lionel Hug

    Le Mur des Cyclopes (© Lionel Hug)


  • 2020 Jardins William Christie Drone 0268 Julien Gazeau-bloc

    Le Mur des Cyclopes vu du ciel (© Julien Gazeau)


The Cyclops Wall, in William Christie's words:

"The Cylcops Wall has long been an important place at the Dans les Jardins de William Christie Festival. But recently it has come into its full extravagance with the arrangement of new stones—vestiges of the prehistoric sea—collected from the surrounding fields. Nature determines the fate of the garden and how it evolves. The storm brought down a great many trees here, which opened up a clearing in front of the wall that is now perfectly suited to musical promenades. I used the logs cut into sections to create a place for visitors and music lovers to sit, a space that matches the wild nature of the Cyclops Wall."

William Christie

Plan JWC Mur Cyclopes