Monuments to visit Saint Pierre

Martinique's oldest museum, founded in 1933 by American volcanologist and philanthropist Frank A. Perret and owned by the city of St. Pierre, was completely renovated in 2019 by the Clement Foundation. This new ultra-modern concrete building houses the remains of the May 8, 1902 eruption. The new burnt wood façade is a sober yet powerful symbol in the heart of the city. The collection presented in the permanent exhibition bears witness to the eruption of Mount Pelee and the destruction of Saint-Pierre in 1902. The tour, organized in three sequences, allows visitors to discover the city on the eve of the eruption, to relive the sequence of events around May 8, 1902 and to understand the consequences of this disaster that killed nearly 30,000 people and wiped Saint-Pierre off the map. The exhibition presents objects bearing the traces of the eruption, photographs and old films on the city around 1902, while audio guides provide visitors with accounts from the inhabitants and survivors. Finally, the memorial lists the 7,000 victims identified to date out of the estimated 28,000 missing. The collection of glassware distorted by the high temperature and two bells show the impact of the fire that hit the city after the fiery cloud. A powerful experience. It is a great introduction to the city and the ruins of Saint-Pierre.

Also known as the Salle de la Comédie, the theater of Saint-Pierre used to be, during the 18^th century, a famous stage in the West Indies where renowned troupes performed. It hosted the most popular plays of the time such as The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro and Le Déserteur by Michel-Jean Sedaine. Like the rest of the city, the theater was swept away by the disaster of 1902. Its ruins are now relatively well-preserved and attract many visits. A very nice walk with the Montagne Pelée in the background.

Located at the eastern end of rue Levassor in the quartier du Fort, the Génie and Ponts et Chaussées offices occupy the site of a private house built in 1810, following the dismantling of part of the Larochetière dwelling at the end of the ^18th century. In 1855, the site became the headquarters of the French Engineering and Civil Engineering Departments. The eruption of 1902 destroyed all structures except the terraces and retaining wall; the remaining buildings are in ruins. The site housed several buildings arranged in a tiered construction on several terraces linked by staircases. In the middle of the upper terrace was the main building, which housed the offices of the Engineering and Civil Engineering Departments. The back wall of this rectangular building was pierced by a double waterfall that fed a basin built at its foot. The middle terrace featured two large circular basins. On the lower terrace were two buildings: a guardhouse and stables. A striking feature of the site is the ingenious hydraulic system that supplied water via the canal du Fort to the Bureau du Génie and the Ponts et Chaussées, as well as to the Maison Coloniale de Santé opposite. The omnipresence of water is typical of pre-1902 Saint-Pierre: controlled runoff, cascading waterfalls, fountains and ornamental spray basins, a functional pool, running water upstairs.

Located on Place Bertin, where goods used to transit to and from ships docked in the port of Saint-Pierre, the Maison de la Bourse used to be the former chamber of commerce of Saint-Pierre.

Destroyed by the 1902 eruption, the current building, rebuilt identically by Gérard Jacqua, former Architect of the Bâtiments de France, appears as a true archetype of Creole architecture, witnessing the refinement and prosperity of Saint-Pierre at the end of the 19^th century. Today it houses the tourist office.