Church of Our Lady of Deliverance

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Dévance, located at Trois-Îlets in Martinique, came into being in 1724 when Pierre l'Homme d'Aubigny gave way to the bay to build the building, the presbytery and the cemetery. The parish then took the name of the Trois-Îlets, with reference to the Sextain, Théblous and Charles islands opposite. This place became a key witness to local history, thanks in particular to the family of Josephine de Beauharnais: his parents, Joseph Gaspard de Tascher and Rose Claire des Vergers de Sanois, celebrated their marriage there in 1761, and their daughter, the future empress, was baptized there on 27 July 1763. In 1807 Josephine's mother, Madame de La Pagerie, was buried in a vault of the left transept.

The church undergoes many transformations and restorations over the centuries. In 1840, a first restoration took place, followed by an expansion in 1852 and 1854. In 1850, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte offered a copy of a work by Murillo, after a request for funding by Abbé Merchez. The 1891 cyclone destroyed the bell tower, resulting in repairs in 1891 and 1898. Between 1945 and 1955, two side naves were added to enlarge the church, and a tank was transformed into a crypt. Ranked a historical monument in 1993, it was the victim of a fire in 1994 that ravaged the sacristy and the abside, before a complete restoration completed in 2000.

The monument is inseparable from Martinique's colonial and religious history. Its location facing the sea, with a pontoon aligned with the nave, and its role in parish life make it a symbol of the Antillean heritage. The successive interventions, from imperial gifts to post-cyclone reconstructions, illustrate its cultural and architectural importance. Today, it remains a place of memory linked to Josephine de Beauharnais and the Catholic heritage of the island.

The precise location of the church, at the corner of Schœlcher and Jules-Ferry streets, reinforces its anchor in the village of Trois-Îlets. Its classification in 1993 and the restoration work of the 1990s allowed to preserve its splendour, while adapting the building to modern needs. The copy of Murillo's painting, still present, recalls Napoleon III's patronage and the artistic influence of the church in the 19th century.

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