The Sacré‑Cœur de Balata Church was built in 1915 by the French architect Wulffleff. Monsignor Lequien ordered its construction to accommodate the population displaced from Saint‑Pierre after the 1902 volcanic eruption.

Located on the heights of Fort‑de‑France along the Route de la Trace, in the Balata district, it sits in a humid area that borders the island’s rainforest.

The Balata Church is a replica of the Sacré‑Cœur Basilica in Montmartre.

The Church of Saint-Étienne of Le Marin was built in 1766 using cut stone. It stands out from the island's other churches thanks to its bell tower, located right next to the building. Its architecture is in the Jesuit style.

The interior of the church is just as surprising as the exterior. The framework resembles the hull of an overturned boat. In the choir is a magnificent white marble altar which, according to legend, was intended for the cathedral in Lima, Peru, but was shipwrecked not far from the coast of Le Marin.

It was donated by François Cornet, a wealthy resident of the town, thanks to a bequest of 6,000 pounds in 1769. He had already donated the statues of the Virgin Mary, the Child Jesus, and Saint Stephen to the church.

Please note that the Church of Mouillage is currently under renovation and the site is temporarily closed to visitors.

The Mouillage district owes its name to the fact that most boats were once moored in front of it. It was the working‑class neighborhood of Saint‑Pierre, where many of the port’s employees lived. Before its destruction in 1902, the Church of Mouillage served as the cathedral of Martinique.

It was known as Notre‑Dame du Bon Port, in honor of the Virgin of the Sailors. The church was built in 1855 by engineers Scheffler and Robinet.

Before the construction of Notre‑Dame‑du‑Bon‑Port, a small neoclassical church built in 1654 by the Dominicans stood on the same site. Around 1851, plans were made to enlarge the building, which had become the cathedral.

The architectural plans were drawn in 1855 by Scheffler, Chief Engineer of the colony of Martinique, and Robinet, Captain of Engineering and Head of Public Works for the Saint‑Pierre district.

Scheffler chose to preserve the neoclassical style already used for the earlier church. Construction lasted several years due to various setbacks.

In 1902, following the eruption of Mount Pelée, the cathedral lost its status to Saint-Louis Cathedral in Fort‑de‑France, which had become the new capital.

In 1920, the church was rebuilt thanks to donations from Victor Depaz and Monsignor Lequien, who had also initiated the construction of the Balata Church.

Today, it is known as Notre‑Dame de l’Assomption Cathedral and remains an important place of worship for the deeply devout Catholic community of Saint‑Pierre. Behind the church lies the Mouillage cemetery and its ossuary, where the remains of the victims of the eruption were gathered.