Roman Catholic Church

One of the most important attractions in the village of Anse la Raye is the Roman Catholic church. The church records in Soufriere which are the earliest on the island show that a chapel existed in Anse la Raye as early as 1762. At this time the
chapel was a wooden structure, the church at Dauphin on the east coast of the island being the only stone church erected at that time.

The Anse la Raye register begins in 1765 and the priest at that time was Abbe Devalladares and the church was dedicated to the Nativity of our Lady. It was destroyed by a hurricane in 1780, built again and burnt to the ground in the French Revolution. In a bold move, the priest decided to build the new church directly over the top of the old one, roof and all.

The corner stone of the present church was laid on November 20,1907. It is truly the "Peoples Church', not only was all the money raised by them but also much of the stone and labour was donated by the villagers. The beautiful alter was brought over from France and the outside of the church boundary wall has a mural some 150ft long depicting scenes from village life which was donated and painted by the St Omer family.

Fish Friday | Anse La Raye Falls | River Rock Falls