Tortuga church, as it is commonly known, is the Catholic church of Our Lady of Montserrat built in 1872. This church is best known for its recent restoration work.
Gesta was the son of Louis Victor Gesta, owner of the 19th century’s largest stained glass window-manufacturing firm in the world. The windows, depicting biblical scenes, were made in Toulouse, France, between 1880 and 1890 but were damaged by tropical storm Alma in 1974.
Mike Watson sadly passed away before his work could be completed. His baton was taken over by the committee with Simone Taylor taking an especial interest in the restoration of the windows.
In a 2004 Guardian Newspaper report, the following report was given..... Taylor’s efforts included four trips to France to find the original manufacturer of the windows. In 1995 she visited the atelier of Michael and Daniel Bataillou in Toulouse.
She subsequently enlisted the help of the French Embassy, which sponsored a visit to Trinidad by Daniel Bataillou who provided an estimate for restoring the 20 windows. This figure was roughly $500,000. Undaunted, the Friends continued their fund-raising, eventually taking a loan for $300,000.
In February 2004, the windows were sent to Toulouse, where the Bataillous worked on their restoration. They were aided by Michael Inniss, a glass maker from Trinidad. The French Embassy sponsored a two-month trip in which he was able to learn the process and assist in restoring the windows.
The newly restored glass windows returned to Trinidad in late August and after five days of feverish work, they were reinstalled in their original positions at the church.
The finished product was first seen at the parish festival held on September 5. Parishioners, Gran Couva residents and people from all over the country were able to see the result.
Few genuine relics remain from Trinidad's Spanish period. One of them is to be found in the church dedicated to Our Lady of Montserrat. This little wooden figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as the 'Black Virgin', is said to be a copy of a statue of Our Lady in a shrine in Montserrat, Spain. Port of Spain was probably not founded by the Spaniards at all........ (click to read the entire article)
The view from the churchyard cemetery is serene and peaceful. It overlooks the central plains and is a reminder of how much of Trinidad's beautiful countryside is still undeveloped. In its heyday, this was prime cocoa land and many fortunes were made and lost on the plains of Gran Couva. The cocoa grown in this soil is still recognized as the one of the most superior in the world.
In addition to the beautiful stained-glass windows, the Stations of the Cross in this church are unique in that the captions below each image are all in French. The overall effect is beautiful. The beautifully rendered images delivered in French reminds of the strong French Creole influence of the French cocoa planters of the 19th century.
This church has an extraordinary atmosphere. Yes, there is the overwhelming beauty of the stained glass but there is also a palpable energy that radiates from the Black Virgin. This mixes in with the French Stations of the Cross and captures the complicated relationships that must have been a way of life for the cocoa farmers and their estate workers. I imagined how many planters would have come to this church seeking redemption or reprieve during the crash of cocoa. Just to add a sense of drama, the distant flares of the Pointe-a-Pierre refinery couldn't be more apt. As the old poeple say, after one time, is another.
We went to Tortuga the other day, but the church was all locked up... Thanks for the beautiful photos! And those photos of the birds in Tobago, did you take them? if so, wow!
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What a beautiful church Sharon. The stained glass is magnificent, and the other art you've highlighted is simply beautiful, and the architecture is lovely as well. Thank you for the tour.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely sounds and looks like an interesting place.
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ReplyDeletea very beautiful garden,i wanna go and have a look ,seeing the fantastic views ,breathing thre freshing air..
ReplyDeleteBeautiful article about tortuga and the church I grew up in tortuga and I'm happy that everyone is getting to no what a beautful place it is.
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