Ruins of Sans Souci Palace
Love Thy Sunny Caribbean
Photo: Herbert E. Miller
1978
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The Sans-Souci Palace was the royal residence of King Henri I (better known as Henri Christophe) of Haiti, Queen Marie-Louise and their twin daughters. Construction of the palace started in 1810 and was completed in 1813. Its name translated from French means "without worry."
Crippled by a stroke, King Henri I committed suicide on the grounds of the palace on October 8, 1820. According to Haitian legend, he shot himself with a silver bullet.
His nephew and heir, Jacques-Victor Henry, Prince Royal of Haiti was bayoneted to death by revolutionaries at the Palace on October 18, 1820.
A severe earthquake in 1842 destroyed a considerable part of the palace and it was never rebuilt.
UNESCO designated it—and the Citadelle—World Heritage Sites in 1982.
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