St. Louis Cathedral, Fort-de-France
| St. Louis Cathedral Cathédrale Saint-Louis de Fort-de-France (in French) |
|
|---|---|
St. Louis Cathedral, Fort-de-France
|
|
| Coordinates: 14°36′15″N 61°4′12″W / 14.60417°N 61.07000°W | |
| Location | Rue Blénac, Fort-de-France |
| Country |
 Martinique, France
|
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | martinique |
| History | |
| Consecrated | 1895 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Cathedral |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Monument Historique n° PA00105958, 1990 The construction of the cathedral began in the mid-17th century and it opened in 1657. |
| Architect(s) | Pierre-Henri Picq |
| Architectural type | church |
| Style | Romanesque Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1891 |
| Completed | 1895 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Fort-de-France |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Gilbert Marie Michel Méranville |
St. Louis Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Saint-Louis de Fort-de-France) is a Catholic cathedral located in Martinique, an overseas department of France. It was built in the late 19th-century in the Romanesque Revival style and serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Fort-de-France. The church is situated in the downtown area of the capital Fort-de-France, at the intersection of rue Victor Schoelcher and rue Blénac.
The construction of the cathedral began in the mid-17th century and it opened in 1657. Due to the natural disasters that have plagued Fort-de-France over the years, the current structure dates back to 1895 and was built with an iron frame in order to withstand these calamities. It is the seventh church to be erected on the site; it was designed by Gustave Eiffel and built by Pierre-Henri Picq.
Before the present cathedral was completed in 1895, a total of six churches had previously been constructed on the site, the first of which was built in 1657. These were all destroyed by either fire, earthquakes or hurricanes. The loss of significant buildings was not uncommon in Fort-de-France, as devastating natural disasters frequently plagued the region. The cathedral that immediately preceded the present one was destroyed by fire in July 1890, a disaster that also obliterated three-quarters of the town. Pierre-Henri Picq was hired to be the architect and his design for the new cathedral was inspired by Gustave Eiffel, who was Picq's contemporary.
In the mid-1970s, the cathedral underwent an extensive program of restoration and refurbishment which remained faithful to Eiffel's design. Part of this entailed repainting the exterior to a tan and brown colour. The renovation was completed in 1978. The cathedral is one of the most famous landmarks in the capital and has been labelled "the religious centrepiece" of Martinique.
...
Wikipedia