An article from Wikipedia explains a bit more about San Souci and it's history:
"The Sans-Souci Palace was the royal residence of King Henri I (better known as Henri Christophe) of Haiti, Queen Marie-Louise and their two daughters. It was the most important of nine palaces built by the king, as well as fifteen châteaux, numerous forts, and sprawling summer homes on his twenty plantations.[1] Construction of the palace started in 1810 and was completed in 1813. It is located in the town ofMilot, Nord Department. Its name translated from French means "carefree."
Before the construction of Sans-Souci, Milot was a French plantation that Christophe managed for a period during the Haitian Revolution.[2]Many of Henri Christophe's contemporaries noted his ruthlessness, and it is unknown how many laborers died during the palace's construction. Under his reign, the palace was the site of opulent feasts and dances. It had immense gardens, artificial springs, and a system of waterworks. Though Sans-Souci is now an empty ruin, at the time its splendor was noted by many foreign visitors. One American physician remarked that it had "the reputation of having been one of the most magnificent edifices of the West Indies."[3]
The impressiveness of Sans-Souci was part of Henri Christophe's program to demonstrate to foreigners, particularly Europeans and Americans, the power and capability of the black race. The African pride in the construction of the king's palace was captured by the comment of his advisor, Pompée Valentin Vastey (Baron Valentin de Vastey), who said that the palace and its nearby church, "erected by descendants of Africans, show that we have not lost the architectural taste and genius of our ancestors who covered Ethiopia, Egypt, Carthage, and old Spain with their superb monuments."[4] However, Christophe's reign drew heavily on European monarchical signs of prestige. He established a hereditary nobility, along with coats of arms and prescribed ceremonial dress.
A severe earthquake in 1842 destroyed a considerable part of the palace and devastated the nearby city of Cap-Haïtien; the palace was never rebuilt. The palace (before its destruction) was acknowledged by many to be the Caribbean equivalent of the Palace of Versailles in France.
UNESCO designated it—and the Citadelle—World Heritage Sites in 1982."
(To visit the full article, go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sans-Souci_Palace)
At the base of the palace stands Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church.
Built in 1804, and one of the oldest churches in Haiti, this Catholic Church is still very much in use. Despite its dilapidated roof, it holds Sunday Mass each week at 6:00 AM. It's 75' roof shows obvious signs of decay but is beautiful nonetheless. The sanctuary space is befit with simple wood benches along more ornate original features. Statues of icons stand about the knave, as one might expect in a Catholic church.
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| The dome from below. |
Following our tour of the Basilica, we continued on to the palace. What a wonder this place must have been before it's demise! Looting and earthquake have mostly ravaged the grandeur of what once was but there are still hints of the colors and architecture that would have made this place so very grand.
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| The view from the back (which is presently the main entrance) to the palace of the king. |
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| Stairway leading to the main living quarters of the king and his nobles. |
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| A view from the front entrance of the palace. |
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| One of many guard towers along the perimeter with Natalie and Rose keeping careful watch. |
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| A view of the mountainside from within the queen's palace. |
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| Noah and Elijah posing in the queen's palace ruins. |
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| The view of the main palace ruins includes the meeting tree that was original to the grounds. |
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| A view of the basilica dome from the palace grounds. |
Should one be interested in seeing some of the spectacular historical sites without doing the full Citadel climb and tour, this visit to the Basilica and palace is well worth your time.
