Saint Joseph's Church (French: ''Église Saint-Joseph d'Iracoubo'') is a
Roman Catholic church located in
Iracoubo, French Guiana
Iracoubo is a Communes of France, commune on the coast of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America].
Geography
The settlement of Iracoubo, seat of the commune, is located between ...
, France. The church is known for its elaborate decorations on the walls and ceiling created by Pierre Huguet, a convict of the penal colony. The church became a historic monument in 1978.
History
Father Prosper Raffray arrived in Iracoubo on 6 March 1866. At the time, the village was home to about 500 to 600 people,
and the church was located in a shed.
Raffray set out to create a model village, and built a school, a clergy house and a real church. Construction of the Saint Joseph's Church started in 1887, and the church was
consecration, consecrated on 6 January 1893.
Pierre Huguet, a resident of
Clermont-Ferrand, was sentenced to 20 years for
burglary
Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...
in 1889, and shipped to the
penal colony of French Guiana. In 1893, he arrived at Camp Iracoubo, and started to paint and decorate the inside of the church.
During his time at Iracoubo, Huguet decorated nearly 600 m
2 of the walls and the ceiling with
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
s in his unique style. Huguet also tried to escape six times, and was finally released in 1909. Until 1977, it was only known that an unknown convict had decorated the church.
On 8 July 1978, the church was declared a monument.
The church is sometimes nicknamed the "
Sistine Chapel of the Amazon",
and classified as
naïve art.
The church started to deteriorate in the early 21st century mainly caused by the high humidity which resulted in gaps and cracks in the foundation and plaster.
In 2020, Saint Joseph's Church was selected as one of five candidates for
Overseas France of the , a lottery dedicated to relatively unknown architecture.
As of 2021, the church will be restored.
Gallery
Église d'Iracoubo.JPG , Church from the outside
Église Saint-Joseph d'Iracoubo 15.JPG , Ceiling
Église Saint-Joseph d'Iracoubo 12.JPG , Details on the wall
Iracoubo-1474.jpg , Altar
See also
*
Roman Catholicism in French Guiana The Catholic Church in French Guiana is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
Around 75% of the population is Catholic and the dependency forms a single diocese - the Diocese of Cayenne.
Erecte ...
References
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Buildings and structures in Iracoubo
Roman Catholic churches completed in 1893
19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in France
Roman Catholic churches in French Guiana
Naïve art