Culture of Mahe Island. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

The majority of local attractions are just around Victoria. For example, there is the Seychelles Natural History Museum in a pretty small but beautiful house in Colonial style. Exhibitions are mostly stuffed well-known representatives of local flora and fauna. Crocodiles, giant butterflies, turtles, stoned shellfish shells – you will find it all in the museum. There are also some exhibits dedicated to the history of the island’s settlement. For instance, there is the Stone of Possession established by Frenchmen and so they had claimed their right to the island. You can also see fragments of the 16-century ship rope and the 17-18 centuries pieces of ship equipment there.

Then, there is one of the most significant island’s attractions right in the city centre in the little square. We’re talking about the local version of Big Ben. The tower is twice smaller than the original one and painted in grey, and still, it’s worth to take a picture next to it.

If you’re fond of art, then you should go to Michael Adams Paintings Studio, the art gallery of the quite famous local artist. You can see his paintings, have a nice conversation with the artist or his wife and even buy a memento (prices are pretty ok) there. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

In case you’re keen on religious architecture, a Hindu temple in the capital’s city centre is a must-see. It’s rather a marvelous building designed in its typical style. The temple is decorated with diverse colorful statues of Gods and heroes inside as well as outside. Besides, a smell of incense is all around inside the building. Don’t forget that as you enter the temple you ought to take your shoes off. Moreover, there is a great number of Catholic temples here on the island too. For instance, there is the Immaculate Conception Cathedral not far from the central square. It’s a pretty spacious light building with austere décor. Its doors are also rather special, they’re decorated with the biblical themes bas-relief. Furthermore, there is a little chapel next to the building.

If you get to Bel Ombre, you can see St. Roch Roman Catholic Church. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century and has never been thorough reconstructed. You can enjoy seeing statues depicting biblical heroes, an extremely beautiful fresco behind the priest’s place and hundred-years-old carved benches. The church gives a very nice impression from the outside thanks to its discreet decorations and overall neo-Gothic style.

Then, there is the St. Anthony of Padua Church which was built in 1962 and reconstructed in 2003. It would help to get a picture of how the modern church that comprises classical canons of Catholic architecture looks.

The fountain Jubilee de Diamand is also highly magnificent. It also has a statue that was established there in 1993 in honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s 40-years-regiment. Originally, the fountain was constructed in 1900 in honour of Queen Victoria’s 60-years-regiment.

The local abandoned cemetery is quite an unusual place to visit. It has seen its days, but now it’s deteriorating little by little. It’s hard to say how old the most aged graves are, however, it’s a well-known fact that famous Jean-Francois Hodoul, French Corsair, and Pierre-Louis Poiret who claimed himself to be a son of executed Louis XVI who was pretending to be Louis XVII in order to get the royal power.

There is one more local place of interest connected with the name of Hodoul – the old planter house where the famous Corsair used to live, according to historical data. It’s also worth seeing as this ancient building is one of those which has survived until today.

In addition, you can also visit Kenwyn House – another representative of Colonial architecture which was built in the middle of the 19th century. Outside it’s stayed the same but the inner décor was not saved up to date. There is a casual jewellery shop inside the building nowadays.

The reconstructed planter’s farmstead of the 18th century is located in Le Jardin Du Roi Spice Garden. The house acts as a museum and presents an exhibition about the colonists’ and slaves’ mode of life in the 18-19 centuries.