Church of Saint Nicholas of Champ-Borne

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Key figures

Origin and history

The Church of Saint Nicholas of Champ-Borne, located in the east of the island of Reunion, was inaugurated in 1847 and dedicated to Saint Nicholas. It became an independent parish in 1853, led by Bishop Florian Desprez, bishop of Saint-Denis, with a territory extending from the Mont River to the Trou Road. The land was donated in 1855 by Georges Louis Dufoix de la Blanchère, a local nobleman.

Exposed to the prevailing winds, the church regularly suffered damage during cyclones. In 1853, Captain Henri Massias described it as a vulnerable chapel on the point of Champ-Borne. Despite repairs, it was finally destroyed in 1962 by cyclone Jennie, with gusts exceeding 220 km/h, causing 37 deaths and 16,000 victims.

After its destruction, the ruins were used in 1974 for an exhibition organized by the Maison des Jeunes de la Culture de Saint-André. A new church was rebuilt 50 metres from the old one, oriented to resist the winds. The departmental archives keep documents about its construction, while artistic projects, such as the Memoirs de Séverine Chauveau series, perpetuate its memory.

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