Chapelle Saint-Thomas-des-Indiens, chapel located in La Réunion, in France
The Chapelle Saint-Thomas-des-Indiens is a small chapel in Saint-Denis on the island of La Reunion. The stone building has simple lines and plain walls, constructed between 1860 and 1865, and originally functioned as a place of worship, a school, and a community center.
The chapel was founded in 1860 by Jesuit priests to serve Tamil workers who arrived on the island following the end of slavery. It was completed in 1862 and functioned as a school and community space until around the 1970s.
The chapel served as a gathering place where Tamil workers could pray in their own language and maintain their cultural practices. It functioned as a community space that offered both spiritual comfort and social belonging to people far from their homeland.
The chapel sits in a quiet area of Saint-Denis and is easily accessible on foot. Visitors should know that the roof has been missing since 2005, meaning the interior is exposed to the elements, so sturdy shoes with good traction are recommended.
Local tradition holds that the original church bell was cast from reclaimed metal that came from the chains of freed slaves, connecting the building to the island's difficult past. From 1942 onward, nuns used the building to help young girls facing hardship by providing them shelter and education.
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