St. Eustatius Church Ruins (Oranjestad)

The ruins of the Dutch Reformed church in the upper town of Oranjestad are one of St Eustatius's most striking historical sites. The substantial stone walls stand roofless against the sky, the arched windows open to the trade wind, the graveyard around the building full of 18th-century Dutch merchant families. It is a very effective monument to the island's decline.

The church is freely accessible and the graveyard can be walked through. The headstones, many still legible, give you a snapshot of the Protestant merchant community that ran Statia in its golden age. The combination of the church ruin, Fort Oranje a short walk away, and the waterfront warehouse ruins below makes the upper town of Oranjestad a compact and absorbing historical precinct.

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A story
The Dutch Reformed church in Oranjestad was built in 1755 at the height of Statia's commercial prosperity — when the island was one of the busiest ports in the hemisphere and could afford a substantial stone church with a proper tower. The congregation dwindled as Statia's trade declined after 1776 and the island was sacked by the British in 1781. By the 19th century, the church had fallen into disrepair; the tower collapsed in a storm, and the building was never fully repaired. The roofless ruin that remains is one of the most evocative historical sites on the island.