Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Grand Cour House, also known as the old Desbassayns house or the French-Chinese school, is an iconic building on the island of La Réunion, located at the Saint Charles on the Royal Chaussée in Saint Paul. Built in 1776 in a " pondicherian" or "malabar" style, it was erected by Indian artisans (stone tailors, carpenters, carpenters) on behalf of planter Henri Panon-Desbassayns, at the request of his father-in-law Julien Gonneau-Montbrun. Using local materials such as basalt, baked bricks and a roof coated with argamass, it was the only building of this time to resist the time on the Royal Road. Its facade is distinguished by two superimposed columns and arches, while its outbuildings (kitchens, stables) are basalt.

The house was initially used as a secondary residence for the Desbassayns family, who preferred it to the expanding Villèle estate. In 1855, she was assigned to the bishopric of La Réunion and transformed into a communal Catholic college (college Saint-Charles) until 1874, before being finally bequeathed to the bishopric in 1885 by Marie Antoinette Camille Panon Desbassayns, granddaughter of Madame Desbassayns. The building then became a symbol of Franco-Chinese cultural exchanges: leased in 1912 to the Kuo-Min-Tang association for 99 years, it will house the Franco-Chinese school Saint-Charles from 1958, thanks to the restorations carried out by Father Antoine Lan Pin Ho.

Classified as a historical monument in 1984 (façades, roofs, gate and garden), the house Desbassyns today embodies a mixed heritage. After its acquisition by the Saint Paul City Hall, it still hosts courses in Mandarin and martial arts via the Franco-Chinese Amicale, as well as cultural events. Its unique architecture, inspiring two other family homes (Villèle Museum and White House College), bears witness to Indian and Creole influence in the sugar history of Réunion.

The entrance gate, engraved in the 1950s, and the garden with its fountain complete this historic ensemble. Saint-Louis Street outbuildings, which were excluded from the 1912 Chinese lease, housed the Saint-Charles Catholic school. After a period of abandonment, the restorations of the 1950s allowed to preserve this jewel of the eighteenth century, now open to the public for educational and cultural activities.

External links