North Réunion Intercommunal Tourist Office
La Reunion is a strongly Christian island, where the history of each district is above all that of a parish. The influence of the church is omnipresent. Here, perhaps more than elsewhere, Christian saints and priests are invoked to relieve suffering.
The small Christian community of “Bourbon Island” began to be organized in 1667. But in 1714, only three parishes were created: Saint-Paul, Saint-Denis and Sainte-Suzanne. The parish of Sainte-Marie was not created until 1748.
Around 1848, several priests, including Fathers Monet and Levavasseur, played an important role in favor of the abolition of slavery.
The year 1850 saw the birth of “the bishopric of Saint-Denis”, and it was in 1976 that a Reunion bishop was appointed; Monsignor Gilbert AUBRY, who still guides the Catholic Church of Reunion.
Sainte-Marie :
Sainte-Suzanne
Notre-Dame de la Salette Chapel
Located nearthe Notre-Dame de l'Assomption church, the Notre-Dame de la Salette chapel was listed as an historic monument the same year, in 2012. Originally a simple oratory founded by Father Scubillon in 1856, it was rebuilt between 1894 and 1897, then modified and extended in 1949 in a neo-Gothic style. You will be surprised by its gable wall facade flanked by two massive cut basalt pilasters. Under the very sloping roof, a niche houses a statue of the Virgin which belonged to Father Scubillon. The stained glass windows were made in 1961.
Notre-Dame de l’Assomption parish church
Listed as a historic monument on the 9th July 2012, the first basalt stone of the church was laid in 1749 following the creation of the parish of Sainte-Marie one year before, the fourth on the island. Composed in a Latin cross and equipped with a shingle roof, it took five years to be built. It was in the middle of the 19th century that a neoclassical porch and a bell tower were added. Following a fire, the roof was replaced by an overhanging sheet metal structure. The bedside is also modified. The promontory on which it is located offers a magnificent view of the ocean and the coastline of Beau Pays, enjoy!
