CATHEDRALE SAINT JAMES

At the rear of Vieux Port-Louis and 150 m from the Champ de Mars (another landmark in Mauritius' history), this beautiful, recently renovated cathedral stands proudly with its spire in the middle of a park in a quieter section of the capital.

During the French period, in the ^18th century, the building was a powder magazine, as can still be seen from the imposing thickness of the walls, around three meters thick, designed to protect the stocks of gunpowder used to supply ships. Towards the end of the French period, it became a prison for British prisoners of war. In 1812, under English colonization, the building was converted into an Anglican church, the first in the town, without destroying the original defensive building deemed too "solid". Alterations were gradually made: a vestibule, a porch and two chapels were added at the ends of the transept, an octagonal spire was built above the bell tower, and stained-glass windows were added... The body of the building itself is made from local materials such as volcanic rock, teak wood and, more unusually, coral blocks. The church was consecrated a cathedral in 1850. On several occasions during its history, its vocation was partially diverted. It served as an orphanage and school for the children of indentured laborers and former slaves, as well as a refuge and hospital during the terrible cyclone of 1892, which devastated much of the town.

At the exit below, take a look at the former St. Mary's Chapel.