19°37′0″N72°13′0″W / 19.61667°N 72.21667°W | |
Date | 12 April 2020 |
---|---|
Time | 03:00 AM |
Duration | 6 hours |
Venue | Sans-Souci Palace/Royal Chapel of Milot [2] |
Location | Milot, Haiti [3] |
Coordinates | 19°37′0″N72°13′0″W / 19.61667°N 72.21667°W |
Cause | Unknown |
Deaths | 0 |
Non-fatal injuries | 0 |
Property damage | Roof and spire destroyed; windows and vaulted ceilings damaged |
On April 12, 2020, at 3 AM, a structure fire broke out beneath the roof of the Royal Chapel cathedral in Milot, Haiti. [4] [5] By the time firefighters arrived to stop the fire from spreading, the dome of the cathedral had collapsed and the rest of the building was already badly burnt. The dome collapsed, causing the loss of everything inside the building. [6]
According to Bishop Alain Prophète and Director Patrick Durandis, [7] art objects and religious relics that were inside of the building were destroyed by the fire, but there were a few items close to the door that only suffered smoke damage. Even some exterior items were damaged because the fire was powerful. There was no electricity in the neighborhood the night of the fire. [8]
According to government officials, it will take time to build the Royal Chapel of Milot like it was before under the leadership of King Henri Christophe, but UNESCO offered help. [9]
King Henri Christophe had Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception built by Joseph Chery Warlock. The construction took place from 1810-1813. [10] It is located at the entry to the Sans-Souci Palace, in the town of Milot, Nord, about 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) northeast of the Citadelle Laferrière, and 13 kilometers (8.1 mi) southwest of the Three Bays Protected Area.
The Sans-Souci Palace was the royal residence. Henri I lived there with his wife, Queen Marie-Louise, and their two daughters. It was the most important structure the king had built (including nine other palaces, fifteen castles, numerous forts, and sprawling summer homes on his twenty plantations. [11]
Before Sans-Souci was built, Milot used to be a French plantation that Christophe managed for a period during the Haitian Revolution. [12] Under his administration, the palace was the site of opulent feasts and dances. It had beautiful arts, immense gardens, artificial springs, and a system of waterworks. Though Sans-Souci is now an empty place, at the time its splendor was noted by many foreign visitors. One American physician even remarked that it had "the reputation of having been one of the most magnificent edifices of the West Indies." [13]
Citadelle Laferrière is located in the northern department of Haiti and the palace is surrounded by mountains and the surrounding area is very rich in trees. The oldest palace is now a tourist attraction visited by people from around the world.
A severe earthquake in 1842 destroyed a considerable part of the palace and devastated the nearby city of Cap-Haïtien; the palace was never rebuilt. The dome of the chapel, which collapsed during the earthquake, was rebuilt in 1970 by Haitian architect Albert Mangonès. [14] The palace (before its destruction) was acknowledged by many to be the Caribbean equivalent of the Palace of Versailles in France.
UNESCO designated it—and the Citadelle— World Heritage Sites in 1982.[ citation needed ]
The whole building was already destroyed by the fire before firefighters arrived at the scene. [15] Unfortunately, art objects and religious relics that were inside of the building were destroyed by the fire, and it was too late to save the building.
According to Jacques Bernadin, the Mayor of Milot, the firefighters of the town hall of Cap-Haitien arrived on the scene two hours after being alerted, but it was too late. [16]
After the fire destroyed the church, Bishop Alain Prophète, Director Patrick Durandis lamented the neglect of cultural monuments [14] and the youth demanded an investigation as well. [17]
Days after the fire had destroyed the building, the national government asked officials in Milot to investigate the cause of the fire. [10]
Henri Christophe was a key leader in the Haitian Revolution and the only monarch of the Kingdom of Haiti.
Cap-Haïtien, typically spelled Cape Haitien in English and often locally referred to as Le Cap or Au Cap, is a commune of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the department of Nord. Previously named Cap‑Français and Cap‑Henri during the rule of Henri I, it was historically nicknamed the Paris of the Antilles, because of its wealth and sophistication, expressed through its architecture and artistic life. It was an important city during the colonial period, serving as the capital of the French Colony of Saint-Domingue from the city's formal foundation in 1711 until 1770 when the capital was moved to Port-au-Prince. After the Haitian Revolution, it became the capital of the Kingdom of Haiti under King Henri I until 1820.
Nord (French) or Nò is one of the ten departments of Haiti and located in northern Haiti. It has an area of 2,114.91 km2 (816.57 sq mi) and a population of 1,067,177 (2015). Its capital is Cap-Haïtien.
The Citadelle Laferrière, commonly known as La Citadelle, is a large early 19th-century fortress located in Minot in Nord, Haiti. It is situated on the Bonnet à l'Evêque mountaintop located approximately 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) uphill from the town of Milot, 27 kilometres (17 mi) south of the city of Cap-Haïtien, and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) southwest of the Three Bays Protected Area.
The Palace of Sans-Souci, or Sans-Souci Palace, was the principal royal residence of Henry I, King of Haiti, better known as Henri Christophe. It is located in the town of Milot, approximately five kilometres (3 mi) northeast of the Citadelle Laferrière, and thirteen kilometres (8 mi) southwest of the Three Bays Protected Area. Being among the first buildings constructed in a free Haiti after the Haitian Revolution, the Palace and the neighboring Citadelle, are Haitian icons and global symbols of liberty, and were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1982.
Pompée Valentin Vastey, or Pompée Valentin, Baron de Vastey, was a Haitian writer, educator, and politician. Vastey was what people at the time called a "mulatto," because he was born to a white French father and a black Haitian mother.
The Kingdom of Haiti was the state established by Henri Christophe on 28 March 1811 when he proclaimed himself King Henri I after having previously ruled as president of the State of Haiti, in the northern part of the country. This was Haiti's second attempt at monarchical rule, as Jean-Jacques Dessalines had previously ruled over the First Empire of Haiti as Emperor Jacques I from 1804 until his assassination in 1806.
Milot is a commune in the Nord department of Haiti, 12 miles south of Cap-Haïtien. It is the site of Sans-Souci Palace, one of Haiti's most revered landmarks. The Citadelle Laferrière, Haiti's best-known landmark, is five miles (8 km) by road to the south. The town also hosts a hospital, Hôpital Sacré Coeur, run by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Crudem Foundation, Inc
Tourism in Haiti is an industry that has generated just under a million arrivals in 2012, and is typically one of the main sources of revenue for the nation. With its favorable climate, second longest coastline of beaches and most mountainous ranges in the Caribbean, waterfalls, caves, colonial architecture and distinct cultural history, Haiti has had its history as an attractive destination for tourists. However, unstable governments have long contested its history and the country's economic development throughout the 20th century.
Queen Marie Louise Coidavid was the Queen of the Kingdom of Haiti 1811–20 as the spouse of Henri Christophe.
The Haitian Coast Guard, officially the Haitian Coast Guard Commission or G-Cd'H, is an operational unit of the Haitian National Police. It is one of the few law enforcement organisations in the world to combine water policing and coast guard duties while remaining as a policing unit. It operates primarily as a law enforcement agency, with secondary responsibilities in search and rescue.
Gauvin Alexander Bailey is an American-Canadian author and art historian. He is Professor and Alfred and Isabel Bader Chair in Southern Baroque Art at Queen's University.
The Institut de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine National (ISPAN), the Haitian Institute for the Protection of National Heritage, was founded in 1979 and has since been active. In addition to the extensive restorations at the Citadelle Henry, the Sans-Souci Palace, the Cathedral of Cap-Haïtien, Fort Jacques de Fermathe and the National Palace in Port-au-Prince, ISPAN undertook numerous studies and investigations that have resulted in a list with more than a thousand properties of cultural value located throughout Haiti. In 1994, ISPAN managed to officially rank thirty-three historical monuments and the historic center of Cap-Haïtien under National Heritage. This was an important step towards an active and effective management by the state.
Jean-Baptiste Sans-Souci was a leader of rebel slaves during the Haitian Revolution. He was assassinated by rival black rebel leader, Henri Christophe, in 1803, shortly before Haiti won its independence. Sans-Souci is notable as one of the most effective military leaders during the revolution, particularly against French forces led by Charles Leclerc in 1802 and 1803.
Albert Mangonès, was a Haitian architect.
Galland Semerand was a Haitian painter and architect.
National History Park is a national park in Haiti established on 1968. It is located in Milot. It was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982.