We sailed overnight from Bequia to Fort-de-France, Martinique’s capital. With its narrow streets and iron grill-worked balconies, the downtown area recalls New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. or Nice, France. This distinctly French island is a full-fledged department of France, with members in parliament and the senate. Thus, everyone speaks French, as well as a rapid-fire Creole. The island features a varied landscape, from quiet beaches to lush rain forest to imposing Mont Pelee. Not surprisingly, the shopping in Fort-de-France has a decidedly Gallic flair. As part of the EU (European Union), the local currency is the Euro. The name Martinique is probably a corruption of the Indian name Madiana (“Island of Flowers”) or Madinina (“Fertile Island with Luxuriant Vegetation”), as reputedly told to Christopher Columbis by the local Caribs in 1502.
Honoring the memory of Victor Schoelcher, a pivotal figure in freeing numerous individuals from the slave trade in the 19th century, Bibliothèque Schoelcher (Schoelcher Library)’s elaborate design was built and featured at the Paris Exposition of 1889, then shipped to Martinique piece-by-piece. One of the city’s most beautiful buildings, its design by Henri Picq features a Byzantine dome, Egyptian lotus-petal columns, turquoise tiles and other ornate features. Listed as an historical monument in 1993, it currently houses more than 300,000 volumes.
“The original Carib Indian population disappeared after Europeans arrived, partly as a result of disease, conflicts with the Europeans, and assimilation. In 1658 French settlers on the island numbered about 5,000. Slaves brought from Africa added a further ethnic component. Today people of mixed European and African ancestry account for more than nine-tenths of the population, but the island’s economy is largely controlled by the small proportion of people of European descent. A small fraction of the population is descended from labourers brought from the Indian subcontinent. A Creole similar to that spoken in Haiti is commonly heard, but French is the official language.” — www.britannica.com/place/Martinique
Cathedrale Saint-Louis (Saint-Louis Cathedral) was constructed beginning in 1875 (opening in 1895) and serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Fort-de-France. Inspired by the Eiffel Tower, it is the seventh cathedral on the site since 1657, with the previous churches lost to natural disasters. Known for its Roman-style steeples and Gothic Revival architecture, the light-peach building is a unique feature in the Fort-de-France skyline.
“The interior of the church is noted for its grand organ, ornate walls, beautiful stained-glass windows and balustrade of iron. Located underneath the choir loft is a crypt containing the tombs of several previous governors of Martinique.” — Wikipedia
Iron balconies evoke memories of New Orleans and the South of France (e.g., Nice). Snippets of conversations in melodious Patois and French fall pleasingly on the ear. The central park, Place de la Savane (Savane Park), contains a statue of Empress Josephine (Napoleon’s wife) who was born on the island.
The Hotel de Ville (City Hall) is now Theatre Césaire and hosts live performances instead of being the seat of the city government. Aimé Fernand David Césaire, born in Basse-Pointe in 1913 was a Francophone and French poet, author and politician from Martinique. He considered himself of Igbo descent from Nigeria and considered his first name Aimé a retention of an Igbo name. In 1936, Césaire began work on his long poem, “Cahler d’un retour au pays natal”, a vital and powerful depiction of the ambiguities of Caribbean life and the culture in the New World and is widely regarded as “one of the founders of the negritude movement in Francophone literature”. He was also an accomplished playwright. His works have been translated into many languages.
Legal Notices: All photographs copyright © 2025 by Richard C. Edwards. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Permission to link to this blog post is granted for educational and non-commercial purposes only.
Where in the world is Riccardo? 