Church Notre Dame de l'Assomption

The Church of Notre-Dame de l'Assomption, one of the oldest in Martinique, was built between 1640 and 1645.

Originally, it was a simple hut, on the site of the present church. At the end of 1635, it was the Sieur de la Vallée who was given this neighborhood, after the departure of Carib Indian chief Pilote who went to settle in the south of the island.

He built the neighborhood in parish and gave the location of the parsonage, the garden of the church, the cemetery and the savannah reserved for food for the priest's horse. The slave cemetery was in front of the church, where now stands the monument to the dead. In the 17th and 18th centuries, religious buildings have been repaired several times and even rebuilt.

In 1903, in very bad condition, works were again executed, siding and roof of the church was rebuilt and they were repainted. It was built in Baroque style by Dominican missionaries.

The "shell" Saint-Jacques that it notices at the pediment above the main entrance, is the emblem of this religious order. Only the facade is listed historic monument. The ceiling inside shaped keel upturned boat is the hallmark of this era when carpenters were from the Navy.

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