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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Palais Rontaunay is an iconic Creole villa in Saint-Denis, the capital of La Réunion, built between 1854 and 1862. Sponsored by Julien Gaultier de Rontaunay, a rich shipowner and planter from Mauritius, she embodies the opulence of the colonial elites of the 19th century. This merchant, who owned up to 19 schooners and extended his trade from the Mascareignes to the Indies, abandoned his activities after the introduction of smallpox in La Réunion, finishing his days as a hermit in this palace.

Upon the death of Gaultier de Rontaunay in 1863, the palace became the property of the General Council of La Réunion, serving as its seat until 1979. In the 1980s, it will also house the regional council until 1991, when it was transferred to the Mufia. The house, made of wood under sheet metal, was modified in 1965 with concrete additions for bases and floors. Ranked a historic monument in 1997, it was ravaged by a fire in January 2019.

Architecturally, the palace reflects the style of the Creole squares, with its large volumes and structure adapted to the tropical climate. Its location, at the corner of Jean-Chatel and Rontaunay streets, in the Barachois district, makes it a major urban landmark. Its administrative history — the successive seat of the departmental and regional councils — underlines its central role in local governance since the 19th century.

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