The Maison du Bagnard is a house built by Médard Aribot, a Martiniquan sculptor, upon his return from the penal colony in 1960. He is said to have lived there until his death in 1973. It is an ornamented wooden house, painted white and blue, facing the Rocher du Diamant.
Médard Aribot was a renowned and talented sculptor. He was reportedly sentenced to life at the penal colony. Several explanations are given for the reasons behind his conviction. According to local accounts, the cause was his sculpture of Colonel Coppens, which was brandished and mocked by the crowd during an electoral riot in 1925.
Colonel Coppens, whose real name was Maurice de Coppens, was the owner of a sugar factory in Le Diamant who, in 1925, preferred to have the crowd fired upon rather than risk losing the election. Several people were killed, including Colonel Coppens himself during the riot.
Another “official” explanation attributes Aribot’s conviction to numerous thefts he was said to have committed. After several years in the penal colony in French Guiana, he was released in 1945 following the definitive closure of the penal camps. He returned to Martinique in 1953 and is believed to have lived in the Maison du Bagnard until his death in 1973.
The Maison du Bagnard will soon undergo renovation after winning a fundraising campaign dedicated to its restoration. It is listed as a Historic Monument.
