Our Lady of Montserrat R.C. church is a property of interest located on a parcel of land situated in Tortuga surrounded by Church lands and privately owned lands to the east, Church lands to the West, Churchyard cemetery to the North and Tortuga government primary school to the South.

Our Lady of Montserrat Roman Catholic Church is a small, 143-year-old wooden church nestled on a high ridge of the Central Range of the island of Trinidad overlooking the Gulf of Paria. It boasts a 200-year-old wooden icon of Our Lady of Montserrat brought by Capuchin Missionaries in the mid-1800s to the Mission, which preceded the Church. Twenty (20) beautiful stained-glass windows, fourteen (14) Stations of the Cross, and original paintings on tin estimated to be 150 years old adorn the walls of the building. Statues of Saints also populate the Litany of Tortuga Saints (Imprimatur 1954), all make up the spiritual, historical, and national legacy of the Shrine.

Our Lady of Montserrat R.C. Church is the only Roman Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Port of Spain and in the English-speaking Caribbean named after Our Lady of Montserrat. This Shrine has interesting architecture, and a panoramic and breathtaking view of the island’s western coastline. The church is also the oldest wooden Catholic Church in the twin island republic. In 2018, the Tortuga Parish marked the 140^th anniversary of the establishment of the Shrine on December 24th and celebrated this spiritual milestone in April and May of 2019.

The OLM Shrine Committee, commissioned on January 26, 2010, was set up to ensure that the infrastructural needs of the church building are met. The committee meets regularly to plan for the upkeep of the shrine, organise fund-raising activities and engage in shrine enhancement projects. Recoginising the beauty and uniqueness of the church, the committee has lobbied for the church to become a listed property of interest under the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago Act.

Other Known Name: Tortuga, Tortuga R.C. Church

Address: 314 Mayo Road

Town/City: Tortuga

Region: Couva – Tabaquite – Talparo

Site Type: Cultural Heritage

Website Link: http://ourladyofmontserrat.org/

Ownership: Private

Public Accessibility: Limited Access

Grade: Grade 1 – property in which there should be no change, nor alteration to its shape or form, nor in or upon any material object, plant or other thing that may deform or deface the property.

Cultural Community: French

Site Features: Places of Worship