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Origin and history

The Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption church, also known as Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Port, is a Catholic building located in Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe. Consecrated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, it depends on the diocese of Basse-Terre and Pointe-à-Pitre. Its history is marked by a succession of reconstructions following natural disasters: cyclones, earthquakes and hurricanes, reflecting the resilience of the local community to climate hazards.

The first parish church, built in 1665 on the site of the Trinity Habitation, was replaced in 1727 by a second building at the Morne Courbaril. After 1752, a wooden church was erected thanks to a donation of land from Mr. Boyer de Caurieux, but destroyed by the cyclone of 1825. Rebuilt as a masonry in 1828, it suffered heavy damage during the 1843 earthquake and was threatened with ruin in 1888 and 1903. Two side chapels were added around 1911.

Hurricane Okeechobee of 1928 ravaged the archipelago, seriously damaging the church and its bell tower. A temporary chapel was built near the presbytery. The present church, designed by architect Ali Tur in reinforced concrete and inspired by the neo-Sudanese style, was built between 1930 and 1932. It consists of a central nave and two lateral spans, decorated with stained glass, claustras and geometric motifs. Its bell tower, separated from the building, dates from the post-earthquake reconstruction of 1843.

In 1961, seven stained glass windows signed by Albert Gerrer of Mulhouse were installed. Between 2020 and 2021, the bell tower benefited from a restoration financed by the Heritage Lotto (€371,000), after 16 years of degradation. He was solemnly blessed in March 2021 by Bishop Jean-Yves Riocreux, marking the end of the work supported by the Heritage Foundation and the Prefecture of Guadeloupe.

The presbytery, destroyed several times (cyclone of 1825, earthquake of 1843, hurricane of 1928), was finally rebuilt in concrete reinforced by Ali Tur after 1928. The church celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2022, showing its roots in the religious and architectural history of Guadeloupe.

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