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Located in Fitches Creek, St Georges Church, Antigua is one of the oldest churches on the island. The first chapel on the site was erected in 1687. It was designated as the Parish Church in 1725. The Parish of St George is one of the six parishes on the island.
Being in the Caribbean means that buildings are susceptible to hurricane damage. St Georges Church was not spared, suffering serious damage twice that we know of.
The first time was in 1950. This was the first year the Atlantic hurricane database gave the storms names. The names came from the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet, with the first named storm being designated “Able”, the second “Baker”, and so on. Hurricane Dog, the fourth of the season, was considered among the worst hurricanes in the history of Antigua, where thousands were left homeless. Damage was estimated at $1 million (1950 USD, $9.54 million 2013 USD), and there were two deaths from drowning in the region. Restoration of St. Georges Church took 15 years, being completed in 1965.
The second time the church was damaged by a hurricane was in 1995. Hurricane Luis was an extremely destructive Cape Verde-type hurricane as well as one of the strongest, deadliest and most notable hurricanes of the incredible 1995 Atlantic hurricane season, with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 km/h). Luis was also the strongest hurricane to make landfall, and the third most intense hurricane recorded during this extremely active season. The current structure was rededicated after repairing the hurricane damage in 2001.
Although hurricanes have made landfall on the island since 2001, the church has been fortunate to be spared.
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Twitter: ljsaltiel
| July 29, 2013
Love the detail in the bricks and how they contrast with that great blue sky Mark.
Twitter: twitter (username)
| July 30, 2013
Many thanks, Len