Saint-Louis Cathedral

This is Saint-Louis cathedral. The site has hosted a place of worship since the 12th century, although the building you see here is not as old. The first church here was destroyed in the 16th century during the Wars of Religion. A large Protestant temple was rebuilt in its place, and converted into a cathedral a few years later. However, the cathedral was also destroyed at the end of the 17th century, this time by accident. The new building had to wait until the 18th century for its construction to begin. Due to a lack of budget, it took over 100 years to be completed. None of the two towers initially planned were built, and the stained glass windows were installed in 1893. The church’s interior, designed in the 19th-century Counter-Reformation style, is richly decorated and contrasts with the style of Protestant temples. Feel free to go inside if it is open during your visit. A notable fact about this cathedral is that several slaves were baptised in it throughout the 18th century. As a matter of fact, La Rochelle was one of the cities that prospered during this period through its active participation in the triangular trade. Moreover, it was France’s second largest slave-trading port, after Nantes. In fact, La Rochelle was one of the first towns to engage in the slave trade, which began in the 16th century, directly involved in the deportation of more than 130,000 slaves to the American colonies, notably to Saint-Domingue. Ships set sail from La Rochelle with goods such as textiles, weapons and metals for the African coast, where they were exchanged for slaves. In turn the slaves were traded in the colonies for sugar, coffee, tobacco and cotton. There were about 70 shipowners in the town. They were the ones who built the beautiful, spacious mansions that can still be seen in the streets today. The city owes its wealth to this trade. If you want to find out more, you’re welcome to visit The New World Museum on Fleuriau Street, which explains all this.