Housing Foundation XIXe siècle (≈ 1865)
Coffee plantation and banana plantation.
1964
Partial destruction
Partial destruction 1964 (≈ 1964)
Ouragan ravaging the family cemetery.
1967
Visit of Jacqueline Kennedy
Visit of Jacqueline Kennedy 1967 (≈ 1967)
Collection of a relic of the grid.
5 janvier 1993
Classification of historical monuments
Classification of historical monuments 5 janvier 1993 (≈ 1993)
Protection of the family cemetery.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Cemetery (AC 197): Order of 5 January 1993
Key figures
Saint-John Perse - French writer
Inspired by his childhood on the spot.
Jacqueline Kennedy - Former First Lady of the United States
Visited the ruins in 1967.
Famille Le Dentu-Dormoy - Founding owners
Motherhood family of Saint John Perse.
Origin and history
The residence La Josephine is a former colonial plantation founded in the 19th century in Saint-Claude, Guadeloupe. Located 700 meters above sea level near the Matouba jump, it was dedicated to the cultivation of coffee and bananas. Owned by the family Le Dentu-Dormoy, it was the summer resort of the writer Saint-John Perse, who drew inspiration from it for his poetic work, especially to celebrate a childhood (1910).
In 1964, a hurricane ravaged the home, leaving the family cemetery in ruins. Jacqueline Kennedy visited the site in 1967, taking a fragment of the wrought iron gate of the cemetery as a relic linked to the poet. The dwelling was listed as a historic monument in 1987 and was classified in 1993 for its cemetery.
The dwelling illustrates the colonial agricultural history of Guadeloupe, mixing architectural heritage and literary memory. Its link with Saint-John Perse and the visit of Jacqueline Kennedy make it an emblematic site, preserved for its historical and cultural value.
