Trinity Fort

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Origin and history

The Fort de la Trinité, located at the height of the peninsula of Pointe Sainte-Catherine in La Trinité (Martinique), finds its origins in a fort built in 1658 during the founding of the city. The current remains date mainly from work undertaken between 1713 and the 1720s, with repairs in 1746. The site then included an artillery store, a powder keg, a barracks, a vaulted tank and enclosure walls, partially preserved today.

The fort played a strategic role in the Franco-English conflicts for the control of Martinique. It was bombed and occupied by the British in 1762-1763 under the command of Admiral Rodney, and again in 1794 during a landing of 2,000 soldiers led by General Dundas. Renamed Fort Dundas after 1809, he remained under English rule until 1816. A report from 1784 mentions a capacity of 80 men in 6 buildings.

In the 19th century, the fort was gradually disarmed: considered useless in 1875, it was abandoned the same year. In 1853, his armament still included 3 30 mm guns, 3 22 mm shells and a 32 mm mortar. Remnants, protected since 1991, include barracks, a cubic well and sections of stone walls, partially integrated into 20th century buildings. A search campaign in 2001 cleared these remains.

The site, now known as Pointe Sainte-Catherine or Pointe du Fort, bears traces of the many military occupations and reconstructions, including the one recommended in 1788 to modernize the battery. Its history reflects the geopolitical stakes of the Caribbean in the 18th and 19th centuries, between French colonies and British ambitions.

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