Post-Earthquake Looting of Haiti’s National Cathedral
Haitians looting Scrap Metal from National Cathedral
We just learned from our Kesler Pierre, a Haitian-born stained glass restoration expert, that extensive looting at the National Cathedral in Haiti has resulted in the loss of all of the Cathedral’s stained glass window.
Kesler was hired by the Smithsonian to do a post-earthquake survey of the stained glass windows at the National Cathedral. His survey was conducted in October of 2010 and there were still approximately 80 stained glass panels left in their frames. Sometime during the months of November and December, nearly all of the stained glass disappeared from the ruins of the Cathedral.
Neither the Archdiocese, the Haitian government or the Smithsonian have done anything to protect the sacred place. A site that is left abandoned and unprotected for an extended period of time is an open invitation to scavengers, looters and souvenir hunters both local and international. It is assumed that windows were broken and/or removed to salvage metal frames that could be sold as demonstrated in the photo above.
Some preservationists have suggested that the Cathedral’s stained glass did not have a high artistic value and therefore may not have been a top priority for the protective oversight by official preservation organizations. Yet, the glass was part of a national treasure and as Kesler Pierre said, “When authorities treat a site as though it is valueless, in an environment of such desperate financial need, what other outcome could be realistically expected?”
Tracing looted stained glass will be difficult, however, a Craigslist ad dated January 28, 2011, demonstrates that someone is attempting to profit from looted stained glass. The title of the ad was: “Glass from Port au Prince Cathedral – $5″ The ad content read, “Several pieces of stained glass from Port au Prince Cathedral comes with photo where the glass came from and the children who will benefit from your purchase (they collected the glass). Various small sizes 5.00.” Sacred Sites International immediately notified Craigslist that the goods advertised in this ad were a result of looting. We asked them to be on the lookout for further such ads and to remove them immediately if more ads appear.
It was a miracle that any of the stained glass survived the Haiti earthquake and it is an even more devastating loss that what survived has now disappeared into the hands of profiteers. What a shame that the Smithsonian invested in a survey without any support from the Haitian government or Archdiocese to protect what remained.
Hi Nancy,
I just wanted to clarify a few points as well as post a comment.
The Smithsonian sent me to Haiti as a volunteer, and as far as I am aware they are the only organization that actively did try to initiate steps to save the cathedral’s art glass.
The site is the jurisdiction of The Catholic Church and to an extent, the Haitian Government. No other institution or individual has the authority to take action on their behalf. In other words neither the Smithsonian nor myself could save the glass without the permission and co-operation of the appropriate authorities. Preservationist organizations can offer resources and assistance, but they cannot take it upon themselves to act without proper authorization. There was no lack on the part of the Smithsonian.
The Catholic Church abandoned its cathedral. Please see link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MqbHKphrtA
With regard to the appropriate prioritization of protective oversight, the fact alone that these windows were part of the National Cathedral made them worthy of historic preservation. And, on a purely economic level, many of those windows were so intricate and so skillfully painted that reproducing them today would be cost prohibitive. I have to wonder first, what criteria would be used to support the statement, “the cathedral’s stained glass did not have a high artistic value” and second, what preservationist would lend his name to such a declaration.
If these windows (http://www.pbase.com/kesler/lost) did not have a high artistic value, what in Haiti does?
Kesler Pierre
http://www.pbase.com/kesler/cathedrale
We appreciate the additional information and clarifications concerning the Port-au-Prince Cathedral. We hope that the Catholic Church will make restoration of the Cathedral a priority and that you will be able to work on new windows for the church.