Port du Barachois

When, in 1738, Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais decided to locate the residence of the governors of the Mascarene islands at Saint-Denis, an idea initially floated in 1669 by the island’s first governor, Étienne Regnault, the site had a small landing cove at the end of its bay, the Calle, which was rapidly renamed Barachois. This Basque term refers to a lagoon, a protected area behind a sand or pebble bank.

Apart from the pont volant, a platform supported by posts and cables built by the governor La Bourdonnais, and despite its status as the main maritime site on Réunion, Saint-Denis had to wait until the early 19^th century before it acquired a substantial port infrastructure. Between 1818 and 1824, plans were drawn up to construct a sheltered harbour for the launches that transhipped goods from vessels at sea. Work began in 1819 with the construction of a long pier, which was completed in 1821. A tidal wave destroyed part of the sea wall in 1829 and created a sort of basin, which provided suitable conditions for a port. In 1848, a hurricane once again severely damaged the site. The sea wall was strengthened and the port remained in operation until the late 19^th century. The port was neglected slightly after the construction of the Pointe des Galets port, which opened in 1886, in the present-day Port district.

The entrance to the port was eventually blocked by pebbles washed up by the swell. The harbour basin was partly filled in from the 1910s, a task completed in 1937 to clear space for a trade fair.

An evaluation was made as part of an archaeological rescue operation in the former Barachois basin in 2020 (Stage 2 of the Nouvelle Entrée Ouest project).