Marie Reine de la Paix (Mary, Queen of Peace) Mauritius

Situated on the flanks of the Signal Mountain, the Marie Reine de la Paix is a huge open area of greenery with an open church overlooking the city of Port Louis. It offers a wonderful view of the city buildings as well as the mountain that acts as backdrop. Erected in 1940 by the firm Mauritius Building, the Priest James Leen used to go over there to pray for Mauritius to be spared during World War п. Since then it has become a place of great spiritual belief as well as a major tourist attraction. The church is found on the highest point of the premises at 60 metres above sea level. Seven terraces interspersed with patches of flowers of all colours and 82 steps of hard rock lead to the church and the top view of the city. A big statue of the Virgin Mary holding a globe in her palm looks over the area; the statue is 3 feet high and is made up of fine white marble. The altar sculpted by Clement Esther, a Mauritian sculptor, was inaugurated three years later (1943) by priest Leen. Masses are often held there attracting a lot of people from all over the island. One of the major events at the church was in 1989 when the Pope John Paul п visited the island and people from all over the country and of all nationalities gathered there to pray. The gardens all around are greatly taken care of by the municipality of Port Louis making it a very peaceful area to relax. Families enjoy taking their children over to Marie Reine de la Paix to play and run about. Lovers find it a nice place to cuddle and enjoy the picturesque serene environment. It is also a great place for friends to have a good time such as picnicking or playing badminton and football or just for a chat. Some snack bars are found near the place selling all kinds of things such as the famous Chinese “boulettes”, fried noodles and rice; there are also merchants on their motorcycles selling picked fruits or ice cream to the great delight of kids. The place is equipped with all the facilities of a modern park. The light bulbs used in the area are the only ones on the island that use solar energy. In 2009, major renovation works were undertaken especially with regards to the church where the paint had started to peel off and iron bars were rusting and since then the area is under CCTV surveillance. There is also a playground, a basketball court and a parking area. Benches are scattered in the gardens for people to enjoy the view or they can choose to lie on the grass that is always carefully mowed. The Reine de la Paix is a common destination for film makers and is very often seen in Indian movies.