Villa Motais de Narbonne, sub-prefecture

18 Rue Marius et Ary Leblond , 97410 Saint-Pierre
Not open to the public.

This is one of Réunion Island’s masterpieces of neoclassical architecture. Built in 1820 by Laurent Philippe Robin, a pharmacist and later owner of a sugar mill in the Ravine Blanche district, the house owes its name to the Motais de Narbonne family, who owned the site from 1911 to 1980, when it was bought by the department, which set up the sub-prefecture offices here. Of particular note is the villa’s double varangue, typical of Creole architecture.