Iracoubo

The church of Saint-Joseph at Iracoubo looks like nothing from the road, a small village church on the coast road, and inside every surface is painted: walls, ceiling, columns and apse covered in figures, borders and ornament done at the end of the nineteenth century by Pierre Huguet, a convict from the penal colony assigned to the parish. It is classed as a historic monument and it is the reason to stop in Iracoubo at all.

History

The area was first settled by Amerindians near Organabo; the first European settlers arrived in 1626 but were driven back, and in 1765 the Galibi, who had left for Suriname during an epidemic, returned. Iracoubo began early in the 19th century as a cotton plantation of Colonel Jacquet, whose cotton shed was given to the community as a church in 1859. Father Raffray arrived in 1886 and built the church of Saint-Joseph, which opened in 1893, its walls and ceiling decorated by Pierre Huguet, a convict of the penal colony, and listed as a monument in 1978; from 1912 bananas and rosewood strengthened the local economy (Wikipedia, Iracoubo).

Highlights

• The painted interior - every wall and ceiling surface covered in figures and ornament.
• The convict painter - work done by Pierre Huguet of the penal colony.
• The plain exterior - a village church giving no hint of what is inside.
• The monument status - the classification protecting the whole scheme.

When to go

July to November is the dry season for the drive. The church is generally open in daytime hours. Services take priority on Sundays.

Good to know

The village has nothing else and the visit is the church alone. Opening depends on the parish and the door can be locked. It is a long drive to make for one interior unless combined with the coast road.

Nearby

Sinnamary is east, and Mana is northwest.

Key facts