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Origin and history

The Fort Cemetery, located in Saint-Pierre in Martinique, was founded in 1635 by Belin d'Esnanbuc, making it the oldest cemetery on the island. It bears the footprint of the Jesuits, installed in 1640, and houses the burials of the first governors. The central chapel, now in ruins, is considered the first religious establishment built by the French upon their arrival in 1635. The cemetery initially spread around this chapel, before a major northward extension in 1841, on the land of the Perrinelle dwelling.

The eruption of Mount Pelee on May 8, 1902 ravaged Saint Peter, reducing the cemetery to a state of ruins invaded by vegetation. No visible part remains today, except for the remains of the chapel and the graves aligned or scattered. The latter, mainly dated from the 19th century, have various ornaments, such as cut stone borders or checkered patterns. The chapel, of classical style, had a rectangular nave, an altar still identifiable, and a pilaster portal, now partially destroyed.

Clearing work began in 1970, followed by archaeological intervention in 1992. Ranked Historic Monument in 1996, the site retains a major symbolic character, linked to French colonization and the memory of the first settlers. Despite its state of disrepair, it bears witness to the religious and funeral history of Martinique, from its foundation to the disaster of 1902.

Originally, Saint-Pierre had three cemeteries: the Mouilleille, the military cemetery and the Fort Cemetery, the latter being the oldest. The chapel, though ruined, remains a key vestige of the island's primitive religious architecture. The tombs, organized in alignments or in a dispersed manner, reflect the funeral practices of the 17th and 19th centuries, mixing European influences and local adaptations.

The site, owned by the commune, is now a place of memory, where the ruins recall both the violence of the eruption of 1902 and the historical richness of Saint Peter, formerly called the "Petit Paris des Antilles". It was classified in 1996 to preserve the remains, although their accessibility remains limited due to the condition of the terrain and the invasive vegetation.

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