Period of development XXe siècle (≈ 2007)
Creation of leper cemetery.
17 décembre 2015
Registration historical monument
Registration historical monument 17 décembre 2015 (≈ 2015)
Official site protection in full.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The old cemetery of lepers, called the cemetery of Father Raimbault, located chemin du Père-Raimbault in Saint-Bernard, in total, including the wall of enclosure, the alignments of the old crosses of lepers, the plate ground and the calvary located on the border of the road on the public domain (see IT 164) as delimited by a red border on the plan annexed to the decree; registration by order of 17 December 2015
Key figures
Information non disponible - No names cited in the sources
The texts do not mention any characters.
Origin and history
The cemetery of Father Raimbault, also known as the ancient cemetery of lepers, is an emblematic funeral site of the island of Reunion, French overseas department and region. Located in the Montagne district of Saint-Denis, chemin du Père-Raimbault, it was built in the 20th century to accommodate the remains of people with leprosy, a disease that was then stigmatized and isolated. This place, surrounded by a wall of enclosure, still retains old cross alignments and a roadside calvary, symbolic elements of its tragic and social history.
Since 17 December 2015, the cemetery has also been listed as a historical monument with the "Twentieth Century Heritage" label, highlighting its architectural and memorial importance. Official protection covers the entire site, including its material components such as crosses, terrain and calvary. Owned by the commune of Saint-Denis, this cemetery recalls the health and human challenges facing La Réunion, while offering a poignant testimony of funeral practices related to contagious diseases.
Available sources, such as Wikipedia and Monumentum, highlight its precise location (164 Way of Father Raimbault) and its role in local history. Although details of visits or accessibility are not explicitly documented, its status as a protected monument makes it a place of memory to preserve. The site thus embodies a dark but essential page of the Réunion heritage, where medical history, religion and social exclusion intersect.
