Photos

Built around 1890 the church Saint Joseph d'Iracoubo does not look especially attractive from outside. It is worth pushing the door and walk inside though. A prisonner who was condemned to spend 20 years at the bagne in french Guyana for robbery, spent several years painting the wooden walls and ceilings of the church. He probably did that work under the direction of the priest (father Raffray) who built the church. The name of the painter had been lost for several decades, until it was recovered in 1977. Pierre Huguet (prisonner #23492) was not a professionnal painter, he tried to escape 6 times from the bagne, and the last time, in 1900, it seems that he did succeed. But nobody knows if he survived or what happened to him after escaping. Today, it is possible to see his work every day during the church opening hours : 8am to 6pm.