Saint-Pierre (Martinique)
Saint- Pierre [ ˌ sɛpjɛʀ ] is a coastal town with 4396 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the northwest of the French Caribbean island of Martinique. It is located 31 kilometers north of the island's capital, Fort-de -France. The once flourishing and prosperous settlement was itself over several centuries the capital and beyond germ colonization of the island. It was destroyed in 1902 by an eruption of seven kilometers north east towering volcano Mount Pelée, has, however, developed after reconstruction into a popular tourist destination.
History
( † 1636 * 1585 ), the first governor of the Caribbean island of Saint -Christophe, founded by order of Cardinal Richelieu In 1635, Saint- Pierre was Pierre d' Belain Esnambuc. Until the transfer of the governor 's seat to Fort -de -France in 1692, she was administrative and commercial capital of Martinique until 1902. North of the city life in order not to fall under the yoke of colonization or slavery - The last native inhabitants, the Caribs, took by falling from a high sea cliff ( Karibengrab now known as Tombeau des Caraïbes ).
The sugar and the slave trade could thrive and prosper the city, so that they became the economic and cultural center of the entire Lesser Antilles and nicknamed as Little Paris, Paris of the islands, the Pearl of the Antilles or Venice received the tropics. Merchant ships from around the world ran to the Port and Saint- Pierre had earlier than many other - larger - towns facilities of modern technology and significant buildings. In addition to a Chamber of Commerce, a horse track, an impressive theater for 800 people, an electric street lighting network and a botanical garden Saint- Pierre had with the Asil Bethléem one of the first nursing homes for the mentally ill.
On the morning of May 8, 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée destroyed the city completely within a few minutes. Of the 28,000 inhabitants at that time only three survived the onrushing pyroclastic flow. The ruins were still burning for several days down to its foundations. Due to the enormous heat development, it was at this time not possible at first to approach Saint- Pierre.
The present city
For several decades the city lay in ruins before they began to rebuild. The city has, however, nowadays only a sixth of the population, it had before the eruption, has become a very popular tourist destination and has lived almost exclusively upon this sector. It is called the "City of Art and History " (French: "Ville d' art et d' histoire " ) classified. The mountain can be climbed and amateur divers offers the opportunity for excursions to the port or directly from the coast sunken ships that were lost when the pyroclastic flow reached the sea.
The faithfully reconstructed building of the Chamber of Commerce is one of the most beautiful examples of architecture of the island. Additional points of interest include the Église de la Nativity ( Nativity ) and the former cathedral of Notre- Dame-de- l'Assomption in the Quartier du Musée Mouillage and the Franck A. Perret (after Frank A. Perret ) that over the informed volcanological history and exhibits artefacts of the destroyed Saint- Pierre. Even the ruins, among other things of the theater, the Fort Church and the nursing home can be visited.
Sons and daughters of the town
- Pierre César Dery (1768-1812), French cavalry general