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Leglise de sainte anne de Laav

L'eglise de Sainte-Anne

Anse-à-Veau (Kreyòl: Ansavo; English: Lamb's Cove) is a coastal city in of the Nippes department of Haiti located 32 km (20 miles) west of Miragoâne.  


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Location in Haiti

About[]

The settlement of this city dates back nearly three centuries. There is the lower and the upper city; the latter is the least prosperous. The municipality was so named because of the Morne-à-Veau on which it was established. The upper city is dominated by the sea by a battery without cannons. This is Fort Saint-Laurent, built in 1820, part of the General Saint-Laurent LeBlanc. Above, the old Fort Sainte-Anne dominates the city. The air is pure and healthy. Its church was built in 1740 under the term of Sainte-Anne.

History[]

• Two days after the battle of Aquin (July 7, 1800), Dessalines, after having left under the orders of Brigadier General Laplume the rest of his army, left Aquin for L'Anse-à-Veau with 800 men. A space of 10 leagues separates these two cities. Dessalines, because of the overflowing rivers, spent the night on the Piedmont habitation, 2 leagues from Anse-à-Veau. On the 7th, the Riguadins had evacuated the city after looting it. Dessalines entered the next day. Many farmers and bourgeois, tired of the war, came to make their submission. He sent Toussaint Louverture, the most influential, to send them to death. A schooner from Petit Trou, believing the city still in the power of the Southern army, came to anchor in the bay of Anse-à-Veau: it was taken and subject to looting. On the 9th of July, at four o'clock in the afternoon, Dessalines marched on Petit-Trou-de-Nippes.

• In 1801, the port of Anse-à-Veau was one of the nine ports of import and export of the colony.

• In 1802, at the arrival of the Leclerc expedition, Memzelle, who commanded at Anse-à-Veau, submitted to the French. Shortly thereafter, Bardet, the former batallion leader who had delivered to the French the fort of Bizoton, upon the arrival of the expedition Leclerc, having been arrested at the Petit Trou de Nippes by General Laplume, in December 1802, was drowned in the Bay of Anse-a-Veau. Many men of color, accused like him of conspiracy against the French, were arrested as his accomplices and executed. One of them, Gérin, who was one of the heroes of the independence war in the South, owed his safety only to the protection of a native officer, Segretier, who favored his flight.

• On January 16th, 1803, Geffrard seized Anse-à-Veau from the French: the French garrison was almost completely defeated by arms. Adjutant General Bernard, who was in command there, fled to Jérémie in a small boat.

It was at Anse-a-Veau that Geffrard, then Colonel, was appointed by Dessalines, Brigadier-General and Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Department.

The French marched in number on the Anse-a-Veau and surprised the independents. Geffrard took his line of battle and bore the shock of the enemy with intrepidity. But the native infantry was soon put in the middle of the road, and Geffrard, pursued as far as the swamps of Anse-a-Veau, was nearly taken by several horsemen whom he shot with pistols. He only reached the river Anse-a-Veau as he passed through the woods, and rushed into the river. His horse was killed under him. He swam the opposite bank. His troops continuing to flee were unable to fight. General Darbois entered Anse-a-Veau and sent a garrison to Miragoâne.

• On October 12, 1806, Gérin, nicknamed by the soldiers "Côtes-de-fer", because of his bravery in the fighting, was born in Les Cayes on December 19, 1757. He received from his family a certain education. Living in the Baradères where he practiced the profession of coaster, he was one of those who, with Jordan, refused, on September 1, 1790, to take an oath of respect to the whites, took up arms and seized Little Hole. Minister of the war of the Emperor Dessalines, he took an active part in the revolution which overthrew this chief; as a senator under the republic, he retired unhappy at L'Anse-à-Veau after the appointment of Petion to the presidency, a place which he aspired. There he engaged in projects and acts that attracted Petion's attention. The latter ordered General Bruny-Leblanc, commander of the district of Nippes, to watch his movements. Gerin thought he saw in the measures taken by General Leblanc the design of arresting him; he appealed to his aid the grenadiers who usually formed his guard, ranged them in battle in front of his house, and put himself in a state of defense. A clash ensued on January 10, 1810, and General Gérin, on the verge of being an epoch, guarded them with a company of grenadiers whom they chose. Since the affair of General Gerin, the number was reduced to 13 men for generals of division, and 10 for generals of brigade. Today the generals of division and brigade have a very limited number of aides-de-camp and guides.

• On November 23, 1810, the 16th regiment of Anse-a-Veau defected in favor of Riguad for the split of the South. General Bruny-Leblanc let himself be carried away.

March 14, 1812, Leblanc pronounced in favor of the president Petion. This defection brought the meeting of the South to the bosom of the republic.

• Acao, commander of the district of Nippes, pretended to replace Pierrot in power; an influential leader of the Piquets in the South, he set them up to escalate power. The town of L'Anse-a-Veau was hostile to him: he was attempting to arrest Colonel Christian, commander of the place, from whom he feared influence. He fled and managed to escape: his friends took the defensive. They were fighting in the city. Pierrot was overthrown of power: General Riché succeeded him. The new president sent General Samedi Télémaque with troops to help the town of Anse-a-Veau: Acao could no longer fight, his ammunition being exhausted; he left Fort Saint-Laurent where he was held on March 9, 1846, and took refuge on the Brossard habitaiton, where he killed himself on the night of the 11th. The general Pierre Philippeaux was named commander of the district from Nippes

Geography[]

On the road from L'Anse-à-Veau to Petit-Trou there is a small pond where the water is saumâtre, probably due to being fed by the filtration of the sea. In the rural section of the Acul-Des-Savanes, the soil is loaded with iron; There is also a brilliant stone that cuts glass like diamond. In nearby Azile, previously a rural section, there are deposits of coal, marble, quartz and ochre.

The commune produces coffee, campeche, cotton, lots of food, excellent fruits of all kinds, the finest syrup (petit-moulin) of the Republic, terracotta vases, jugs that hold fresh water, and tafia. There is also sand, stones in abundance and a beautiful land of ochre used to manufacture pottery. Its exports from Port-au-Prince,Miragoâne, and Petit-Goâve.

It is bordered by Petite-Rivière-de-Nippes to the east, Fonds-des-Nègres to the south, Arnaud and Petit-Trou-de-Nippes to the west, and Canal de Gonâve to the north.

The town lies approximately 32 km (20 miles) west of Miragoâne and 135 km (84 miles) west of Port-au-Prince.

Major localities of Anse-à-Veau commune include Ville de l'Anse a Veau and Quartier Baconnais on the west side of the Grande Rivière Des Nippes, Grande-Rivière-des-Nippes Village, which straddles the river, and Quartier Saut de Baril, Belair Beach, Carrefour Bono, and Saint-Yves on the east side of the river.

The City of Anse-à-Veau was founded in 1721 and raised to the rank of commune in the same year. There are three communal sections. The dominant terrain of the commune is the plain and its climate is normal. The inhabitants of this commune are called Anse-Velais.

Geography[]

Anse-à-Veau is located on the northern side of the Tiburon Peninsula, in the middle, with the Grande Rivière Des Nippes cutting across the eastern portion of the town. It corresponds to the westernmost point of the island of la Gonâve, Pointe de l’acajou (English: Mahogany Point). The rural section of Sault de Baril contains a splendid waterfall.

According to the IHSI, the municipality has an area of 103.23 square km (39.85 square miles).

The town center, Ville de L'Anse-à-Veau has an area of 1.34 km2 (0.52 Sq. mi.) and a density of 3,210 inhabitants per km² (8,271 inhabitants per mi²)

Anse-à-Veau's geography was formed around its location on La Gonâve Channel and the Tiburon Peninsula. There are several inlets along the shore, which create several small streams and rivers, all of which feed into the Gonâve Canal. The largest of these inlets is the flood-prone Grande Rivière de Nippes, whose simple flood enclaves many communes of the department, including Anse-à-Veau, Petit-Trou-de-Nippes, Baradères and L'Azile. At the slightest shower, the river breaks loose, carrying everything in its way, and cutting the department in two.

Because of the large parcel of land occupied by its floodplain in the eastern part of the town, the majority of settlement is not connected to Saut du Baril, its 3rd section. Anse-Velais have long sought to understand why state leaders, who have succeeded at the helm of state affairs, have never thought to bridge the river.

Demography

Year Population +/-
1890 10,000
1998 37,414 +274%
2004 38,000 est. +2%
2009 31,477 -17%
2015 34,613 +10%

Migration[]

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Anse-a-Veau, Haiti

Following Haiti's magnitude 7.0 2010 earthquake, which reduced most of Haiti to rubble, thousands upon thousands of Port-au-Prince survivors overflowed Anse-à-Veau, severely straining its people and services.

Economy[]

In the field of economic and financial infrastructures, the municipality has a credit union, a restaurant, a representative of the DGI (Tax office) and some banks. There are no open ports in the town of Anse à Veau.

Anse-à-Veau's main income-producing activities are agriculture, livestock, and fishing. Farmlands produce coffee, sugarcane, lemons, and oranges, and use sustainability practices. Cotton-growing also takes place. The small-craft fishing industry plies its trade along Anse-à-Veau's coastline. Market day is Saturday. The main markets of the city include Marche Jeudi and Marche Vendredi in the first section and Carrefour Borno, Belair au Javel, and Saint-Yves in the third section.

Trade is also among the main activities of L'Anse à Veau. The inhabitants of the town trade mainly with Miragoâne and Port-au-Prince.

Infrastructure[]

The town suffers from the same infrastructure weakness as many small communities do in Haiti. Its road system is so run-down as to be nearly impossible to drive on. The majority of them remain unpaved, and people complain incessantly about their tires wearing out too quickly. But road projects are being started by a non-government organization, American Haitian Foundation (AHF). AHF is also involved in building schools and churches, and they have implemented a school lunch program for primary- school children.

Transportation

Route Departmentale 21, which crosses through the town, is the primary highway interconnecting the towns of the area. The roadway section in this area is also known as Route Petit-Trou-de-Nippes.

Anse-à-Veau has no airport, so travelers must drive to Les Cayes Airport, the closest one to the town. Further away are Fond-des-Blancs Municipal Airport and Port-au-Prince International Airport.

Education

The Ministry of the National education of Youth and Sports is represented in the municipality by the school district office of Anse-à-Veau. This commune has no kindergarten. It has a dozen schools, including six private schools, two national schools and a high school - the Lycée Boisrond Tonnerre - which offer the bread of education to young Anse-à-velais.

However, once their classical studies are completed, the young people are obliged to leave the town to go elsewhere to learn a trade or to undertake university studies.

Health

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The Ministry of Public Health is not represented in the town of Anse-à-Veau. At the health level, the Jules Fleury hospital, and a community health center located in Saut-du-Baril, a communal section, are the only health institutions serving the population (with one doctor and one trainee dentist, two nurses, seven auxiliary and thirty six certified matrons).

The Jules Fleury hospital, which is the best equipped in the region, does not even have an ambulance at its disposal.

Utilities

The city is calling for a fountain.

Regarding water potential, the town has seven rivers, a few public fountains, and dozens of springs. A network of drinking water supply nevertheless allows the distribution of drinking water. Many sources water the habitations of the interior and the heights. But according to locals, a poor distribution of water prevents some homes from receiving water regularly.

Only the city of Anse-à-Veau is electrified by an electric motor managed by the town hall. The generator was built in 1973 under the government of Jean-Claude Duvalier. When it breaks down, officials are obliged to call on technicians from Miragoâne or Port-au-Prince.

Security

In terms of administrative and judicial infrastructure, the commune has a police station with a total of nineteen police officers, a court of the peace, a civil court, a prison and a civil registry office.

The Anse-à-Veau garrison consists of the 16th line infantry regiment, one third of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd line artillery regiment, an administrative police company, the rural police, and the National Guard on foot and on horseback.

The Civil Court of Anse-à-Veau includes in its jurisdiction the peace courts of the communes of Miragoâne, Baradères, Petit-Trou-de-Nippes, and Petite-Rivière-de-Nippes.

Culture[]

Religion

The town of L'Anse à Veau has eleven Catholic churches (including chapels), ten Baptist churches, four Adventist churches and six Halls of the Kingdom of Jehovah's Witnesses. The town of Anse-à-Veau does not have an NGO or an international organization. Only one political party is found there.

The lodge of L'Anse-à-Veau is entitled: la Pratique des Vertus (the practice of virtues) No. 17 of the Orient of Haiti.

Communication

In addition, it has a telephone call center that only contains a booth. There is no post office, no radio, television station, nor newspaper / magazine in this municipality.

The post arrives from Miragoâne and the rest of the north on Sunday, and continues for Baradères, Pestel, Corail, and Jérémie; it returns on Thursday evening, returning to Port-au-Prince.


Leisure

With regard to leisure, the town is very poorly endowed. There is no library, museum, theater or cinema. Football (soccer) is the only sport practiced in the municipality. Twenty gagueres were also listed.

Heritage

In terms of cultural heritage, the town has a fort (Fort Jn Jacques Acao) which is located in k-Jolie (Grande Rivière) and two notorious temples where animals are sacrificed and Vodun ceremonies are organized.

The Patronal feast is celebrated July 26, at the Sainte-Anne. In 1892, the State gave 800 gourdes to repair the presbytery.

Notable citizens[]

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Anse-à-Veau, Haiti

It has produced many notable citizens, among them painter Laurent Casimir and President Fabre Geffrard.

Anse-A-Veau 809

Commune map of Anse-a-Veau

Neighborhoods

AAV Anse-à-Veau 34,613
VAA Ville de L'Anse-à-Veau Urban 86,780
Quartier de Baconnois Urban 1,643
Quartier de Saut de Baril Urban 747
BNS 1ère Section Baconnois-Grand-Fond Rural section 5,816 Baconnois, Grand-Fond, Ka Berthe, Lose, Morne Piot.
GRI 2eme Section Grande-Rivière Joly Rural Section 12,477 Bellevue, Denis, Dubef, Grand-Bois, Jeanjean, La Dimette, Landry, Mathurin, Pognon, Simon, Ti Michel.
SAB 3ème Saut du Baril Rural section 9,629 Bahoruco, Coma, Continent, Corail, Dupouille, Javel, Lapaix, O'Rouck, Péregny, Remy, Rousse, Saut du Baril, Tirouelle, Torchon, Yilier.
ANSE-A-VEAU

References[]

Anse-à-Veau [1] Michael Vedrine

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