Taking pride of place in the centre of town is the Cathédrale Notre-Dame.
The cathedral’s story began in 1856, when plans were hatched for it to be built of stone imported from Australia, with a doorway carved out of granite from Mangareva in the Gambier Archipelago. Construction on the cathedral began, but then the money ran out; the original edifice was demolished in 1867, and a smaller cathedral was finally completed in 1875.