Artificial cave

This artificial cave was built during the renovation of the garden for the Presidency of the Republic, between 1896 and 1897. It was part of the landscape project created by Paul Villon. From it comes a river, also artificial, which crosses the entire garden until it forms a lake. Villon was a craftsman specializing in the technique of rocaille, which consists in artistically reproducing nature's textures (flowers, leaves, stones, tree trunks, etc.) in different materials, such as, in the case of the cave, reinforced concrete. Even some stalactites were reproduced inside the cave.