Église Saint-Henri des Anses-d'Arlet, Catholic church in Les Anses-d'Arlet, Martinique.
Église Saint-Henri des Anses-d'Arlet stands at the water's edge in the village, in line with the beach pontoon. Its cream lower facade carries a large arched doorway under a triangular gable with a round clock face; the central tower is painted orange with white trim, rising through louvered tiers to a grey shingled spire. A side section has a grey hipped roof with red-tiled eaves and an arched window.
The first church on this site was established in 1671 but was destroyed by the English in 1762 and rebuilt in 1767. The reconstruction was made possible through donations from Henry Larcher, after whom the church is now named.
The church is also known as église Sainte-Hyacinthe. Its stained glass windows were made by the master glassmaker L. Tournel in 1975. The bell tower, damaged by a series of cyclones, was rebuilt in 2008.
The building stands by the main beach and is aligned with the village pier, making it easy to find and accessible from the shore. It has been registered as a historical monument since 1995 and welcomes visitors as a public space.
The church stands at the bourg, on the seafront in exact alignment with the pontoon of Anse d'Arlet beach, so the tower lines up with the jetty when seen from the water. The bell tower visible today was rebuilt in 2008 after a series of cyclones damaged the previous one.
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