A large number of reefs within the inner granitic islands of the archipelago of Seychelles could be entirely lost, unless concerted action is taken soon to control crown of thorns, warns Dr. Udo Englhardt, the expert on on the management of crown of thorns in a...
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St Paul’s Cathedral, Seychelles
St Paul’s Cathedral, Seychelles
A prominent landmark in Seychelles, St. Paul’s Cathedral, is the cathedral of the diocese and the main Anglican parish church of Victoria, Mahé. It is also the seat of the Bishop of Seychelles. The original church was once consecrated to the apostle St. Paul and stood on the site of the present church. It was blessed on 14 May 1859 by Vincent William Ryan, the first bishop of Mauritius. Over the years, the building has been extended twice: 1910 with a new tower and 1978 with an offset altar. In 1862, it withstood the Lavalas to provide shelter to families and the storage of food for people following the devastating landslide.
In December 1920 St. Paul’s became a pro-cathedral, and the name of the diocese changed from Diocese of Mauritius to the Diocese of Mauritius and the Seychelles. It was decided in 2001 to completely renew the structure. The cathedral, which was then blessed on 25 April 2004, was financed with generous donations from the government and private individuals and now offers double capacity for 800 people.
St Paul’s Cathedral is located within walking distance of the Clock tower on Albert Street. Parking is available at the Stadium Car Park on Francis Rachel Street.
The Church Building
The stalls are in dark wood, while the walls and also the flat ceiling are white washed. White columns make the church look as having three naves. The lancet windows have stained glass in the upper part, the floor is made from polished flagstones.
Archbishop
As of 1973 the Seychelles had its own bishop and so also own cathedral. In the same year within structural reforms the Anglican ‘Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean’ was established, encompassing Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion and Seychelles.
Seychellois James Wong is the new Anglican Archbishop of the Indian Ocean province overseeing parishes in Mauritius, Madagascar and Seychelles. He is the second Bishop of the Diocese of Seychelles to be elected for the position. He succeeds Ian Ernest from Mauritius. Wong was ordained an Anglican priest in 1983. He was afterwards the archdeacon of Mauritius and the rector of St Thomas’ Beau Bassin. He was elected the fourth bishop of the Diocese of the Seychelles in 2009. Wong was granted Seychelles citizenship on 11 May 2017. He was elected archbishop of the Province of the Indian Ocean, at the provincial synod, held at St. Andrew’s Church, Quatre-Bornes, Mauritius, on 26 August 2017, assuming office the following day.
Mass Times:
Monday-Friday | 7:30 a.m
Saturday | 5:15 p.m. (Anticipatory)
Sunday: 8:00 a.m. | 10:00 a.m. | 12:00 Noon | 5:00 p.m.
Church Hours:
Monday- Friday: 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sunday: 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Confessions:
Monday-Friday: 3:45- 5:00 p.m.
Saturday: 3:30-5:00 p.m.
Parish Office Hours (Rectory at 239 Selby Ave.) :
Monday- Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Public Tours
Guided tours are offered Tuesday – Friday at 1:00 p.m. l
Takamaka Rum
In February 2002, Bernard and his older brother, Richard, officially opened Trois Frères ( Three brothers) Distillery in Seychelles. Soon after, they distilled and delivered their first ever order of Takamaka dark rum.
The Seychelles Series is distilled from molasses in a continuous column still, and diluted with natural spring water from up in the fertile green hills of Seychelles National Park.
St André Series is a collection of four rums that really show the company’s expertise in rum making. St André Series have been crafted to showcase the rich heritage and Creole traditions while at the same time pushing the boundaries of conventional rum making.
Le Clos Series is a limited edition rum. These releases tend to be from either a single or a couple of casks and are bottled at cask strength with nothing added and nothing taken away. Often limited to 800 bottles or less, these releases are great examples of the rum the company produces.
How the rum is produced
Before refined sugar and its byproduct, molasses was available in Seychelles, the company used cane juice to make the rum. At that time there was only a limited amount of sugar cane grown, what little that was produced was used to produce Baka, a local fermented cane beer. Over the years the company encouraged the farmers and residents to grow cane to boost their income.
The cane that is grown locally has distinct terroir (the combination of factors including soil, climate, and sunlight that gives the sugar canes their distinctive character for making wine.) notes from the unique granitic soil mixed with beach sand. The green juice is rich with notes of raw sugar, floral grassiness and flavours of the sun baked soil.
Late in 2020, the company converted their old restaurant kitchen at La Plaine St André into a molasses distillery and installed a brand new continuous column still. This state-of-the-art facility is the first of its kind in the Seychelles. But today, the company is able to import good quality molasses from the nearby Indian Ocean region.
After diluting the molasses with the spring water and fermenting it for three and a half days, the wash is introduced to the multi-column plant for distillation before the rum is collected.
Foursquare distillery in Barbados
Foursquare is a world famous rum distillery in the world. Takamaka imports 8 year old Bajan rum and uses it as one element in some of the rums to bring that Caribbean colour and flavour to combine with their Indian Ocean flavours.
Pressed Rum
Following the technology of California and Australian wine makers, Takamaka started making pressed rum in Seychelles using Hydrodynamic Cavitation. This is a mechanical process that brings about chemical reactions and molecular changes in liquid that would otherwise happen over time. These include the development of deep, natural flavors as well as mellowing of the rum. This allows production in small batches with a variety of different types of wood to create different flavour profiles.
Takamaka St Andre Series consists of the following rums.
Takamaka Extra Noir
Part of the St André series, Takamaka Extra Noir is a dark rum from the Seychelles, aged in a combination of new French oak and bourbon barrels. Rich yet elegant with high ester funk and notes of vanilla and wood spice. Extra Noir is a blend of pot and column distilled molasses rum, soaked with French oak then pressed with both French and ex-bourbon wood. Finally, the rum was allowed to settle in ex French cane rum casks for 60 days.
This full bodied punchy rum retains some high ester funk and spicy elements from the French oak, and notes of vanilla and sweet undertones from the ex-bourbon. No sugar, non-chill filtered and bottled at 43% Alcohol by volume. Ideal for a long, serious highball.
Takamaka White Habitation Velier
Habitation Velier Takamaka White is a white rum made from sugar cane grown on the granite soil of the island of Mahé. The distillation is carried out in a column and repasse still by the Trois Frères distillery in La Plaine Saint-André. This edition of Pure Single Rum has a congeners content of 466.2 grams per hectolitre of pure alcohol, of which 12.2 grams are esters. Congeners are minor compounds other than ethanol that occur naturally in alcohol beverages as a result of distilling and fermenting processes. When primary alcohol is treated with a carboxylic acid in the presence of sulphuric acid a compound is formed. This compound has a sweet smell. The compound obtained is called ester. The chemical reaction occurring in the formation of the ester is known as an esterification reaction.
Velier Takamaka white rum is a limited edition bottled in 2021. Very aromatic, it can be enjoyed neat or on the rocks.
Takamaka Overproof Rum
This is an overproof rum from the Takamaka range, produced using molasses distilled in a column still. The rum is bottled up at a hefty 69% Alcohol by volume. This should be well-diluted before being enjoyed. One can also find aromas of cane, or rather of cane sugar, as well as a freshness of citrus zest.
Takamaka Pti Lakaz Rum
This St André Series rum is a blend of pot still rum from Seychelles distillery Takamaka, matured in four different casks, and eight-year-old Bajan rum from Foursquare Distillery from Barbados. Pti Lakaz is a testament to what tropical aging can do for a rum. The palate offers notes of dried apricot, star anise, dried fruit, cocoa and nutmeg that linger in the finish.
Takamaka Grankaz Rum
A blend of rums from Takamaka distillery in the Seychelles and Foursquare distillery in Barbados, Grankaz has been matured in a combination of casks, including virgin French oak and ex-bourbon oak before being bottled as part of its St André Series. The palate is herbal and sweet, with notes of vanilla, butterscotch, garden herbs, stewed fruits and toasted oak that linger in the finish.
Takamaka Zepis Kreol Rum
Zepis Kreol is a blend of pot and column distilled molasses rum infused with locally-grown spices, combined with eight-year-old rum from Foursquare, Barbados and rested in ex-bourbon barrels before being bottled as part of its St André Series. The palate offers notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, tropical fruit and caramel that linger in the finish.
Takamaka Rum Zenn
Un-aged rum is pressed with American oak chips for colour and texture. It’s a softly honeyed style with light notes of vanilla and brown sugar, ideal for punches and classic cocktails.
Takamaka Rum Blanc
Named after the region on the southern tip of Mahé island, part of the Seychelles, this is a crisp and clean spirit perfect for mixing. This is at the slightly higher strength of 38% which means it can legally be called a rum.
Run Distillery Visit
A journey to Seychelles isn’t complete without a stop at Takamaka Distillery. The Takamaka Rum Distillery Tour and Garden Tour are very informative and are among the most popular Seychelles sites. The visit is usually followed by lunch at the La Plaine St. André restaurant & bar at the distilleries which serves Creole cuisine.
The distillery is open for tourists visiting from Monday to Friday: 10:30 – 16:30. Saturday and Sunday Closed.
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