parish church Saint-Jacques

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Origin and history

The church of Santiago de Carbet came into being in 1645, when the parish was erected under the name of Saint Jacques in tribute to Governor Jacques du Parquet, who had been installed there since 1638. A first chapel dedicated to Saint James the Major was built by the Jesuits in 1651. In 1666, the parish passed into the hands of secular clergy, then in 1767 to the Dominicans, who transformed the chapel into a baroque-style hard church, completed around 1776. This building combines masonry and wood, typical of Antillean religious architecture of the time.

In 1839, an earthquake severely damaged the building, causing a horizontal crack in the nave windows. The repairs, carried out in 1840-1841, saved the structure. In 1846, the relics of St James the Major were transferred there, strengthening its spiritual importance. The church miraculously escapes from the fiery cloud of the eruption of Pelee Mountain in 1902, preserving its 18th century Baroque facade. Classified as a historic monument in 1978, it houses protected objects and has benefited from major restoration campaigns, notably between 1986 and 1992 under the direction of architect Étienne Poncelet.

The interior of the church is distinguished by a nave in a Latin cross, a lambrissed vault supported by 16 columns of angelic wood and curdbaryl (5.60 m high), and an apse in a cul-de-four. Originally, the choir walls were decorated with canvases depicting biblical scenes, while the windows were closed by nailed canvases. Among his treasures are a relic of Saint James the Major and a 19th-century confessional, carved by the carpenter Alexander Dauphite. The facade, in coated bell, features an octagonal bell tower surmounted by an arrow, typical of the Martinic heritage.

The restoration work also involved the roof, initially in scaly tiles and then replaced with corrugated sheet metal before being restored. The church, owned by the municipality of Carbet, remains a major testimony of Martinique's colonial and religious history, mixing European influences and local know-how. Its elongated plan, side entrances framed by volutes, and attic floor with wooden balcony illustrate the adaptation of the Baroque style to tropical constraints.

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