Domaine du Grand Hazier, Colonial plantation estate in Sainte-Suzanne, Réunion Island.
Domaine du Grand Hazier is a plantation estate whose main house, rebuilt from 1911 by Albert Chassagne, measures 24 by 17 metres on a 400 m² terrace. Its metal frame, made in Saint-Quentin and shipped to Réunion, is hidden behind painted shingles, with a veranda framed by pilasters and a toothed cornice. Outbuildings include a former laundry and workers' housing.
Jean Julien, a former soldier from Lyon, received the concession between 1674 and 1678 and farmed it with his Madagascan wife and an Indian slave named Charles. In 1709 he traded Charles to Augustin Panon for another slave; when Julien died in 1714, Panon owned the whole plantation. By 1723 it covered 147 hectares. Nicolas Caradec built the first main house between 1789 and 1813, and Albert Chassagne replaced it from 1911 with the present metal-framed house.
The estate's name comes from the Grand Hazier locality, and its chapel on the seafront serves the island's Hindu community. Since the 21st century the property has housed La Vanilleraie, a vanilla workshop where guided tours show the curing of the pods and a shop sells the products. The old workers' quarters, each door opening onto a single room, recall the plantation labour force.
The site is accessible through guided tours that include the main house, farm areas, and gardens. Comfortable shoes are recommended since you walk across the grounds, which can be uneven in places.
The estate's main house, rebuilt from 1911 by Albert Chassagne, hides a metal frame he designed himself. It was made in Saint-Quentin, shipped to Réunion and assembled on site, then clad in painted shingles and timber. The house sits on a 400 m² terrace that keeps damp out, and four attic balconies help regulate the heat.
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