Saint-Denis Cathedral

State ownership

Museums of France

All cathedrals in France

Crédit photo : L’auteur n’a pas pu être identifié automatiquement - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Temps modernes

Révolution/Empire

XIXe siècle

Époque contemporaine

1800

1900

2000

4 novembre 1829

Laying the first stone

1829-1832

Initial construction

1850

Cathedral building

28 septembre 1860

Consecration

1863

Completion of the porch

13 octobre 1975

Historical Monument

Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The cathedral as well as its place with the fountain (Box AD 449): classification by decree of 13 October 1975

Key figures

Ingénieur Paradis - Architect	Author of initial plans.
Gouverneur de Penfentenyo - Political sponsor	Place the first stone in 1829.
Henri Martin-Granel - Master glass	Creator of the stained glass windows of the cathedral.
Gustave Manès - Former Mayor	Offer the fountain in 1854.
Monseigneur Maupoint - Bishop	Consecrate the cathedral in 1860.
Alexis de Villeneuve - Politician	Murdered near the cathedral in 1946.

Origin and history

Saint-Denis de La Réunion Cathedral, located in the heart of the eponymous city, was built between November 1829 and 1832 according to the plans of engineer Paradis, replacing an 18th century church. It adopted its final form in 1863 with the addition of the western porch in prostyle, adorned with a terracotta pediment representing the martyrdom of Saint Denis, commissioned by the Virebent manufacture. Consecrated on 28 September 1860 by Monsignor Maupoint after his erected cathedral in 1850, she embodied the religious anchoring of the island under French colonial authority.

The master glassmaker Henri Martin-Granel marked the building with its stained glass windows, while the metal bell tower, later added, supports two bells. The square in front of the cathedral was embellished in 1854 thanks to a fountain offered by former mayor Gustave Manès, acquired by Ducel and classified as a historical monument. This place, painted by Antoine Roussin, also became the scene of a political drama: the murder of the man Alexis de Villeneuve in 1946, in full public address.

The cathedral, which was fully classified as a historical monument on 13 October 1975, combines architectural heritage and collective memory. Its pediment, stained glass windows and fountain illustrate the Métis influences of La Réunion, between European religious art and local know-how. The restorations planned for 2010 for the fountain underline the desire to preserve this emblematic heritage, witness to the urban and social transformations of Saint-Denis since the 19th century.