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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Notre-Dame-de-la-Dévance Church is a Catholic religious building located in the Petite Île neighbourhood of Saint-Denis, on Réunion Island. Built between 1893 and 1897, it embodies the neo-Gothic architecture imported into this overseas region. Its location, on the left bank of the Rivière Saint-Denis, makes it a visual landmark facing the city centre, between the neighborhoods of La Redoute and Petite Île.

The interior decoration of the church, made at the beginning of the twentieth century by Father Fulbert, a Spiritan, was renovated in 2015 and 2016. The wall paintings, executed between 1904 and 1905, as well as the stained glass windows created by the Bessac workshop in Grenoble (1928-1929), give the building a remarkable artistic richness. The liturgical furniture, manufactured by local carpenters between 1899 and 1901, completes this heritage complex.

The church is dedicated to Marian worship, but it also honors local popular saints such as Saint Expedit and Saint Michael. A statue of the Virgin decorates the outside, while a chapel is dedicated to her inside. Classified as a historical monument since 2005 (after a first registration in 1996), it enjoyed an outdoor restoration between 2009 and 2011, highlighting its importance in the heritage of Réunion.

Its court houses a calvary, a staircase, a cave dedicated to the Virgin and the tomb of priests, elements protected by the 2005 classification. Owned by the municipality of Saint-Denis, the church remains an active place of worship and a symbol of the religious and architectural heritage of the island.

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