Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite (; ) is a commune in the

Dessalines Arrondissement Dessalines () is an arrondissement in the Artibonite department of Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies ...

, in the Artibonite department of

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

. It is located in the

Artibonite Valley Artibonite Valley (French: ''Vallée de l'Artibonite'') is a valley predominantly in Haiti, on the island of Hispaniola. The Artibonite River flows through the valley, with headwaters in the Dominican Republic as well. The valley's watershed prov ...

, with the center of the town on a bluff overlooking the

Artibonite River The Artibonite River ( French: ''Fleuve Artibonite''; Spanish: '' Río Artibonito''; Haitian Creole: ''Latibonit'') is the longest river in Haiti, and the longest on the island of Hispaniola. It is also the second-longest river in the Caribbean, b ...

. One of the important battles of the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution ( or ; ) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known Slave rebellion, slave up ...

(1791–1804) was fought here at Crete Pierrot;

Jean-Jacques Dessalines Jean-Jacques Dessalines (Haitian Creole: ''Jan-Jak Desalin''; ; 20 September 1758 – 17 October 1806) was the first Haitian Emperor, leader of the Haitian Revolution, and the first ruler of an independent First Empire of Haiti, Haiti under th ...

ravaged the French army led by Rochambeau. The town is the site of

Palais de la Belle Rivière The Palace de la Belle Rivière () is a former palace in Petite Rivière de l'Artibonite, in the Artibonite department of Haiti. It is also known as the ‘’palace of 365 doors’’ ( or ) although it does not have 365 doors. The palace wa ...

, a palace built from 1816 to 1820 by

Henri Christophe Henri Christophe (; 6 October 1767 – 8 October 1820) was a key leader in the Haitian Revolution and the only monarch of the Kingdom of Haiti. Born in the British West Indies, British Caribbean, Christophe was possibly of Senegambian descent ...

. Its construction was never finished. Despite a popular urban legend, the palace does not have 365 doors and 52 windows. Following the

2010 earthquake Earthquakes in 2010 resulted in nearly 165,000 fatalities. Most of these were due to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, which caused an estimated 160,000 deaths, making it the 8th deadliest earthquake in recorded history. Other deadly quakes occurred in ...

, the palace was restored from its dilapidated state. In April 2025 the area was attacked by a gang.https://haitiantimes.com/2025/04/29/new-gang-attack-in-petite-riviere-de-lartibonite/

References

Populated places in Artibonite (department) Communes of Haiti {{Haiti-geo-stub