Saint Francois Xavier Church in Port-Louis

The history These Indo-Catholics welcomed Abbé Deroullede with enthusiasm and eagerness. He, for his part, devoted himself with such missionary zeal that Theophile Bonnefoy (an archivist of the Court of Appeal) discerned in him the title of Theophile Bonnefoy (an archivist of the Court of Appeal) awarded him the title of "first founder of the Indian mission and first pastor of the Indo-Catholics". In 1838: After the death of Father Deroullede, the chapel fell into ruins and the sanctuary was disused for lack of priests; the land was sold. Bishop Collier brought in two missionaries to take care of the Catholic Indians. Father Pucinelli, an Italian who spoke Tamil, and Father Roy, a native of Bengal who spoke Hindi, set up a small chapel in the store of a certain Mr. Gaspard, on Nabob Street (today St. François-Xavier Street). In 1861: The chapel of St. Francis Xavier was inaugurated by Bishop Collier and liturgy was held there until 1899. In 1887: The statue of St. Francis Xavier in the churchyard was unveiled by the donor, Lady Pope Hennessy. In 1893: The foundation stone of the present church was laid. The ashlars of the two wings of the former Collège-St-Louis, which had been knocked down by the cyclone of 1892, were used. In 1899: Solemn consecration of the church but the vast church showed an unfinished façade: a triangular wooden pediment surmounted the large door, and the steeples stopped at the height of the side walls. In 1933: The statue of St. Francis Xavier which was formerly on the small chapel is placed in the middle of the field in front of the parish church. In 1934: Father Dussercle s.sp., musician, writer, draughtsman, architect is appointed parish priest of St. Francis Xavier. He drew up the plans for the two large towers himself, using only the resources of his parish of 6,000 Catholics, encouraging goodwill through monthly subscriptions, looking out for favorable opportunities to obtain materials on the cheap, supervising and personally controlling the craftsmen. In 1937: Blessing of the towers of the Saint-François-Xavier church. Thanks to the work of Father Dussercle, St François-Xavier becomes one of the architectural glories of Port Louis. In 1938: The church of St. Francis Xavier is equipped with a clock. In 1939: Inauguration of the parish stadium of St. Francis Xavier. In 1939: The church is enlarged in width: the twelve columns of the church are reinforced to add the two present naves, the names of the benefactors are engraved on the columns. In 1968: Reopening of the church of Saint Francis Xavier after the riots in Port Louis. In 2015: A stele is placed in the church in memory of the victims of the 1968 violence. In 1 chapel attached to Saint-François-Xavier The Chapel of Saint-Antoine. The Chapel of St. Anthony in Trou-Fanfaron is located near the Albion Dock, at the northern entrance to Port Louis. In 1949: Renovation of the chapel, but the archives do not specify the date of its construction.