Saint Cybard Pillow

The “Saint Cybard Pillow” at the Jardin Vert is one of the most unique contemporary works in Angoulême’s cultural heritage. Located at the foot of the ramparts, near the former hermitage of Saint Cybard, it blends the site’s history, artistic creation, and a reflection on public space.

History of the Work

The work was created in 2016 by artists Michel Dector and Michel Dupuy, known for their artistic interventions inspired by their observations of cities and landscapes.

The origins of this sculpture date back to 2011, during a performance tour organized in Angoulême. While exploring the area around the Jardin Vert, the artists discovered, beneath the ramparts, in a small rocky shelter near the former hermitage of Saint Cybard, a simple abandoned pillow. This ordinary object, imbued with a strong poetic presence, immediately evoked for them rest, meditation, and the memory of the holy hermit. They then decided to create a faithful reproduction of it in white marble in order to preserve this emotion for the long term.

The two artists subsequently donated this sculpture to the City of Angoulême, where it is installed in situ.

Architecture and Characteristics

Although it is not a building, the work possesses a genuine architectural dimension.

It is distinguished by:

• white Carrara marble, a noble material traditionally reserved for monumental sculptures;
• a life-size reproduction of a simple pillow;
• an extremely realistic carving that makes one forget the hardness of the stone;
• its placement directly within the historic landscape of the Jardin Vert.

The contrast is striking:

• an object associated with comfort becomes eternal thanks to marble;
• a cold, massive material replicates the softness of a pillow;
• a contemporary work engages in dialogue with a site dating back more than fifteen centuries.

A work linked to the heritage of Saint-Cybard

The location is by no means insignificant.

The Jardin Vert occupies the slopes below the ramparts of Angoulême, where the hermitage of Saint-Cybard, a major figure in local religious history, once stood. According to tradition, this 6th-century hermit lived in seclusion in a cave at the foot of the city to lead a life of prayer and renunciation.

By placing a stone pillow near this spot, the artists symbolically suggest the place where the hermit might have meditated or rested, without claiming to reconstruct a historical element. The work is more a matter of poetry than of archaeology.

Heritage Value

The Marble Pillow is today a remarkable example of contemporary heritage integrated into a historic site.

It offers multiple layers of interpretation:

• a reminder of the former hermitage;
• the enhancement of the Jardin Vert;
• a dialogue between contemporary art and medieval heritage;
• an invitation to slow down, observe, and imagine.

This approach is characteristic of the work of Dector & Dupuy, who transform ordinary objects into “monuments of everyday life.”

The Jardin Vert: A Heritage Gem

Created in the 19th century at the foot of the ramparts, the Jardin Vert is Angoulême’s main historic park. Its paths, lookouts, and fortified ruins offer a unique setting where natural heritage, military architecture, and contemporary artworks come together. The Pillow of Saint Cybard is thus part of a route that also includes other notable features, such as the Wallace Fountain, the old fortifications, and the ruins associated with Saint Cybard.