Fort Saint-Charles, Fort Richepance or Fort Delgrès, then vulcanology laboratory

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All France's forts, fortifications and classified arsenals

Photo de Fort Saint-Charles, Fort Richepance or Fort Delgrès, then vulcanology laboratory

Crédit photo : LPLT - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Renaissance

Temps modernes

Révolution/Empire

XIXe siècle

Époque contemporaine

1600

1700

1800

1900

2000

1649

Construction of the original dungeon

1759

Taken by the English

1794

Resumed by Victor Hugues

1802-1803

Delgrès revolt against Richepanse

1977

Historical monument classification

1989

Renamed Fort Delgrès

Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The fort (cad. AH 184): by order of 21 November 1977

Key figures

Charles Houël - Governor and Lord of Guadeloupe	Sponsor of the original dungeon (1649).
Louis Delgrès - Resistant mulatto officer	Symbol of the struggle against slavery (1802).
Antoine Richepanse - Napoleonic general	Restore slavery in Guadeloupe (1802).
Victor Hugues - Revolutionary Commissioner	Reprinted the fort in 1794 for abolition.
Père Labat - Missionary and Engineer	Improved the defences of the fort (1702-1703).

Origin and history

Fort Delgrès, originally named Fort Saint-Charles, was built in the 2nd quarter of the 17th century under the impulse of Charles Houël, governor and seigneur of Guadeloupe. This first dungeon, an 11-metre square tower on four floors, symbolized its power over the population. Reinforced by prominent octagonal angles and two walled courtyards, it became a strategic point despite early criticism of its smallness and vulnerability to maritime attacks. The site, successively renamed Château de Guadeloupe (1700), Fort Royal (1759-1763), or Fort Matilda (1794), was a major issue in the Franco-English conflicts in the West Indies.

In the 18th century, the fort underwent major expansions (1720-1770) to counter repeated bombardments, especially during the Seven Years' War (1759) where it was evacuated after an intensive siege. Occupied by the English on several occasions (1794, 1810-1816), it was taken over by Victor Hugues in 1794, allowing the abolition of slavery in Guadeloupe. In 1802 General Richepanse, sent by Napoleon to restore slavery, faced the troops of Louis Delgrès, a mulatto officer symbol of resistance. After Delgrès's defeat, the fort took the name Richepanse (1803), before becoming again Saint-Charles (1960) then Delgrès (1989) in tribute to the abolitionist hero.

Decommissioned militarily in 1904, the fort experienced civil uses (banana hangar, barracks) and degradation (fires in 1930 and 1950). Ranked a historic monument in 1977, it was restored in the 1990s and is now managed by the Directorate of Cultural Affairs of Guadeloupe. Its architecture, marked by half-moon bastions and casemates, reflects the successive defensive adaptations to colonial conflicts. The site, overlooking the Caribbean Sea, offers a panorama of Basse-Terre and Soufrière, while embodying the memory of the struggles for freedom.

The history of the fort reflects the geopolitical tensions of the West Indies: Franco-English rivalries, slave issues, and local resistance. Its nominal evolution (from Saint Charles to Delgrès) illustrates the memorial recompositions, moving from a symbol of colonial power to a memorial of abolition. The archaeological excavations (1995) revealed remains of the first buildings, while the restorations preserved its walls and its large barracks, partially rebuilt in the same way.