Église Saint-Benoît, Historical monument in Saint-Benoît, La Réunion.

Église Saint-Benoît is a Catholic church in the town of Saint-Benoît, on the island of Réunion. Its symmetrical facade mixes dark grey rectangular stone blocks with broad panels of smooth white plaster; the central section rises above two lower flanking wings. A triangular pediment holds a white clock face above a recessed window of glass blocks, and below it a projecting portico with a triangular pediment stands on two pairs of dark grey columns. A wide flight of steps leads to the open doorway.

A parish was planned here as early as 1716, and a first church, finished in 1735, stood between the cemetery and the main road until it became too small and was overrun by bats. The first stone of the present building was laid on 27 September 1840 by contre-amiral de Hell and blessed by Monseigneur Poncelet, at a cost of 180,000 francs to the commune. The 1850 cyclone carried off the bell tower and roof, forcing repeated repairs; the bells date from 1860 and were blessed by Monseigneur Maupoint, and the stained glass was installed in 1963.

The parish was planned as early as 1716, when a report to the Compagnie du Conseil du Roy named Saint-Benoît among two future parishes alongside Saint-Louis. The first church, finished in 1735, was replaced by the present building in 1840; its stained glass was installed in 1963. The 1997 and 2012 heritage listings cover the choir paintings, the fountain, the belfry and the floor.

The church stands on the site at Petite Montée, now called Montée Collège, on land once belonging to Pierre Lebeau. The main entrance is up a wide flight of steps beneath the columned portico, so allow for stairs. Access depends on parish services; check locally before climbing up.

The 1997 heritage listing, renewed on 26 January 2012, covers not only the building but also the choir paintings, the fountain, the belfry and the floor. A bell cast in 1768 by Julien Huet, brought by sea in 1770, survives from the earlier church, but it now hangs in the bell tower of Sainte-Madeleine at Bras-Madeleine.