Chapel of the Rosary

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Origin and history

The Rosary Chapel is a Catholic religious building located on the island of La Réunion, in the commune of Saint-Louis. Built in the early eighteenth century, it is one of the oldest chapels on the island, built at the initiative of a local resident, Mrs. Barbe Payet, who in 1730 offered a plot of land for its construction. The works, financed by him, were completed in 1734, and the building was placed under the name of Our Lady of the Rosary, a Marian devotion dating back to the thirteenth century.

Barbe Payet, daughter of Antoine Payet and Louise Siaram (a Malagasy), was a mulattress creole named in 1694. Its donation of land and its personal funding testify to the importance of private initiatives in the establishment of places of worship in Reunion in the eighteenth century. The chapel, of modest dimensions, reflects the simple religious architecture of the colonial era, adapted to the local resources and needs of an expanding community.

According to another source, the chapel was also associated with Madame Widow Lallemand, who started building it in 1727 following a vow. This dual attribution in the archives highlights the frequent documentary gaps for the ancient monuments of the ultramarine territories. In 1988, the chapel remained a rare testimony of the religious heritage of Réunion, managed by an association and open to the public.

The term Notre-Dame du Rosaire refers to a Catholic tradition linked to Saint Dominique, who would have received the Rosary of the Virgin Mary in the thirteenth century. This choice illustrates the anchoring of European devotions in the colonies, while adapting to local realities. The chapel, located near the Saint-Étienne River, is part of a landscape marked by the history of French colonization and the cultural blending of La Réunion.

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