Bulletin of the ISPAN, No. 14: The Formidable Artillery of the Citadelle Henry
Summary: The guns of the Citadelle, and what the 1980-1990 restoration did and left undone: that campaign was essentially about getting water off the structure, and the artillery found there was important enough that further work was recommended once the first phase closed.
Key Findings
- The bulletin describes the Citadelle Henry as the largest Caribbean fortress and the core of a post-independence defensive network built to deter a French return.
- It presents the Citadelle artillery park as historically exceptional and important enough to justify a museum project after the 1980-1990 restoration phase.
- The artillery remains partly in an unfinished defensive arrangement, reflecting that the armament program was incomplete when Henry I died in 1820.
- Cast-iron guns form the largest contingent, many with French foundry marks, while bronze pieces from France, Great Britain and Spain are described as works of eighteenth-century military art.
- The issue also covers mortars at the Citadelle and Ramiers, including heavy pieces on original carriages.
- The post-earthquake chronicle reports work on the National Palace, visits by technical and cultural figures, rescue of an artwork from the Chamber of Deputies building, and renewed attention to Georges Corvington's history of Haiti's national palaces.
Full Description
The guns of the Citadelle, and what the 1980-1990 restoration did and left undone: that campaign was essentially about getting water off the structure, and the artillery found there was important enough that further work was recommended once the first phase closed. One issue of the Bulletin de l'ISPAN, the monthly bulletin of Haiti's Institut de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine National, which ran from June 2009 to at least November 2011 and documented one monument, site or historic center per issue.
How to cite
Institute for the Protection of National Heritage (ISPAN), 2010, Bulletin of the ISPAN, No. 14: The Formidable Artillery of the Citadelle Henry, https://www.haiti.org/