Saint-Louis Cathedral

The Saint-Louis cathedral

The Fort-de-France audio-guided tour leads you to the Saint-Louis cathedral, the main religious building of the city, whose eventful history testifies to the resilience of the Martinican capital.

A history marked by ordeals

A place of worship has stood at this site since the end of the seventeenth century, when the city was forming around the Royal Fort. The first church, a modest wooden building, was burned in 1674 and then rebuilt in stone. Damaged by a tidal wave in 1766, then by the earthquake of 1839, it was replaced by a new church raised in 1854 and become the cathedral of the diocese. This one was in turn ravaged by the great fire of 1890, then struck by a cyclone. The architect Henri Picq, drawing the lessons of the past, then designed the present building endowed with an iron structure able to resist earthquakes and fires, in a Romano-Byzantine style then very fashionable.

What there is to see

The Saint-Louis cathedral invites contemplation through its vast spaces flooded with light and its coloured stained-glass windows. Its iron structure, inherited from the genius of Henri Picq, makes it a singular building, designed to face the climatic ordeals of the island. A spiritual and heritage landmark in the heart of Fort-de-France, it stands out by its elegant bell tower and its peaceful atmosphere.

Practical information

The Saint-Louis cathedral is in the very heart of the town centre of Fort-de-France. A place of worship open to visitors, it is discovered with respect for the services; the opening hours are to be checked on site.

Why does the cathedral have an iron structure?

To resist the earthquakes and fires that had destroyed the previous buildings; it is the choice of the architect Henri Picq.

In what style is the cathedral built?

In a Romano-Byzantine style, very fashionable at the end of the nineteenth century.