Monuments to visit Saint-Denis

After several years of closure, the Château Morange cultural center has reopened its doors. With a strong focus on the visual arts, it offers a program of cinema, photography and video art. And it doesn't stop there, as you can enjoy concerts by artists on the patio or in the auditorium. The château, built in 1853 by Jean-Baptiste Prosper Morange, has undergone a complete restoration. The space is now the venue for numerous cultural events. See our Facebook page for the latest program.

This timeless Creole estate, listed as a historical monument in 2018, welcomes you in a green and warm setting. It is a haven of peace that will fascinate lovers of history and botany. The mistress of the house offers you a guided tour from 10am to enjoy a perfect light, followed by a snack. If you wish to enjoy a picnic in the 3 ha forest, call her beforehand. She will concoct a gourmet basket for you to enjoy. She will also be able to reveal her secret corners.

The only island lighthouse dates back to the time of the end of slavery in the middle of the 19th century, and is taken over by the Tourist Office. With a spiral staircase of 73 steps, it overlooks the Indian Ocean majestically. The top of the lighthouse is visited recently and a museum of the sea is planned.

Facing the Barachois, this building, originally planned as a department store, became the grand lodge upon its delivery in 1739. It is the official residence of the island's governors. Its current architecture is the sum of several campaigns of work. In 1822, Jean-François Gaudin added a forecourt surmounted by a dome and a belvedere. The varangues are equipped with neoclassical pillars and columns. Then in 1951, the architect Jean Hébrard had the belvedere removed and began the complete restoration of the building.

This former leper colony, built in the middle of the 19th century, is today a pleasant small craft and associative space, which serves as the centre of the Saint-Bernard district. It is about fifteen minutes from the beginning of the Mountain. You will find a restaurant, local shops, the local library, a hairdresser, a florist and a medical centre in the various lodges of this historical monument, arranged around a grassy courtyard.

The estate of Marencourt, which covers 26 ha, is mainly devoted to the cultivation of cane. The owners' house, a beautiful mansion flanked by two red turrets, sometimes illustrates the tourist brochures. But in reality, once built in wood cladding, it was largely destroyed during the cyclone of 1962 and then rebuilt as a permanent structure. Only one of the outer walls is still original. The estate dates back to the 19th century and was bought in 1890 by Édouard Manès, one of the last governors of Reunion Island.