Leyritz Habitation

Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The residence Leyritz, located in Basse-Pointe in Martinique, is a former colonial plantation founded in the early eighteenth century by Michel Leiritz (1681–1764), a Bordelais secretary to the king. Born from a marriage with Rose Asselain in 1712, the estate extended over 20 hectares dedicated to indigo, exploited by some thirty slaves. Michel Leiritz, who became trustee of Basse-Pointe and militia officer, enlarged the property and in 1749 acquired an anointing office. When he died, his son Michel Dominique (1722–79) unified the property, before his grandson, Michel Calixte Jacques, inherited a estate of 497 hectares and 336 slaves in 1791.

In 1788, a hurricane devastated the habitation, destroying mills, sweets, and slave cells. Despite the damage, sugar production persisted until the abolition of slavery in 1848, when the owners, including the heirs of St. Luc's Espinay, resorted to Indian hires to compensate for the shortage of labour. In the 19th century, in the face of the sugar crisis, the house was converted into a rumerie, managed by the Marraud des Grottes family. In 1902, an eruption of Pelee Mountain partially damaged the site, without interrupting the production of rum.

The 20th century marked a turning point with the sale of housing in the 1970s to the Lucy of Fossarieu, who turned it into a hotel-restaurant. The site hosts in 1974 the summit between Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and Gerald Ford, before being partially destroyed by Hurricane Dean in 2007. Classified as a historical monument in 2014 for its remains (master's house, mill, slave cells, hydraulic network), Leyritz housing is now being restored, including its Negro square street, supported by the Heritage Foundation since 2021.

The architecture of the house reflects its evolution: the house of the masters, built in 1713 and enlarged around 1830, combines antillean influences (galeries, wrought iron balconies) and metropolitan (roof at the Mansart, French garden). The estate, organised around a central hydraulic wheel, separates industrial areas (diltery, former slave cells) from residential areas (sugarry transformed into a restaurant). The 18th century fountains and the remnants of the lime oven bear witness to its sugar past.

The social history of Leyritz is marked by tensions, such as the revolt of slaves against night work in 1845, repressed by the gendarmerie. After 1848, Indian engagism replaced slavery, before the site became a symbol of the labour struggles with the case of the 16 of Lower Pointe in 1948: 16 cane cutters, accused of the murder of an administrator, were imprisoned three years before their acquittal. These events illustrate the conflicts related to farming in Martinique.

Today, the Leyritz dwelling embodies a complex heritage, combining colonial memory, Creole architecture and preservation issues. Its ranking in 2014 covers the garden, the master house, the mill, and the slave cells, highlighting its role in Martinique's economic and social history. The restoration under way aims at valuing this testimony of the agricultural houses of Antillean, between painful heritage and tourist conversion.

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