St. John's Fig Tree Church

St John's at Fig Tree is a stone parish church on the southeastern side of Nevis, rebuilt several times since the seventeenth century, and its register holds the entry recording the marriage of Horatio Nelson and Frances Nisbet in March 1787, displayed under glass inside. Memorial tablets to planter families line the walls, and the churchyard holds graves running back to the early colonial period. The parish takes its name from a fig tree that once stood at the crossroads outside, long since gone.

What you actually see

• The marriage register - the 1787 entry for Nelson and Frances Nisbet, on display.
• The memorial tablets - the planter family monuments around the walls.
• The churchyard - graves running back to the early colonial period.
• The rebuilt fabric - a church reconstructed repeatedly since the 1600s.

When to go

December to April is the main season. The church is usually open through the day. Sunday services take priority.

Honest expectations

The church is often locked outside service times and access depends on the keyholder. The register page on display is a copy in some periods. There is little else to see inside.

Nearby

Charlestown is northwest, and Montpelier is east.