Villèle Museum

Domaine Panon Desbassyns – Villèle, 97435 Saint-Gilles-les-Hauts
Website – Tel: 02 62 55 64 10.
Full/reduced price: €2/€1.
Open Tuesday to Sunday: 9:30 am to 12:30 pm/ 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Closed on Mondays.

The Musée historique de Villèle is a listed building. Guided tours can be booked on site at the reception desk, or you can visit the gardens, the pointed chapel, the kitchen, the slave hospital and the exhibition room on your own.

This is the home of the Panon-Desbassyns, a large family of planters who were as much involved in the development of the sugar industry as they were in the rampant slavery they practiced. A must-see for anyone wishing to learn more about Réunion’s history. This is the only museum to retrace the history of slavery on Réunion Island. The interior of the house and its outbuildings evoke the prosperity of a Creole family who left their mark on the history of Reunion in the 18th and 19th centuries. The estate was one of the largest landholdings on the island. The current estate covers more than 10 hectares.

To round off your visit to the Musée de Villèle, don’t miss the Chapelle Pointue, which stands on a hillside planted with eucalyptus trees. Built in 1841 at the request of Madame Desbassyns to evangelize her many slaves, it has been the site of her tomb since 1866. The building owes its name to the high, elegant roof that caps a beautiful rotunda.