Madagascar - Catholic Church of Ambodifotatra

The Catholic Church of Ambodifotatra is the coronation of Father Pierre Dalmond's ten years of evangelization missions (1837 to 1847) in Madagascar, mainly to Saint Mary, Nosy-Be, Tulear and the Comoros, Mayotte. It is the first permanent Catholic church built in Madagascar, a historical monument located on St. Mary's Island off the east coast of the Analanjirofo Region. Dominating the bay and facing the Ilot Madame, it is built on a hill and is 35 meters long, 10 meters wide and 12 meters high. It has a pointed belfry below which is the sacristy with three windows and a door. It is a building made of freestone, granite rubble using as binder laterite mixed with gravel and sand. Later, the stone walls were reinforced and kept fixed by a heavy iron frame. The building has a main door to the north and six arched and glazed windows on each side of the two lengths. Inside, the vault of the nave is supported by marine wooden frameworks. The altar is made of cast iron plates cast in the arsenals of the French navy and presents rosette motifs separating bas-reliefs from saints in medallion frames surmounted by crosses. At the back, a 19-step staircase leads to the balustraded platform above the main door. The church has retained its original use and function, a place of worship for Catholics.