CHURCH - SLAVE MARCHES - MEMORIAL

Perched on a promontory above the fishing port, stands a church served by an ashlar staircase known as "Les Marches des esclaves". The staircase leads to an esplanade where slaves were sold as soon as they disembarked from the ship that brought them directly from Africa.

According to legend, each of the 54 dwellings where the slaves worked made a step when slavery was abolished in 1848. The remaining steps were donated by the commune and the factory council. In another version, the steps were dug by the slaves themselves. Plaques on the 54 steps recall the names of the various African ethnic groups whose members were forcibly brought to the island. This staircase, which starts at the bust of Louis Delgrès, is said to have been used by the slaves on their arrival in Guadeloupe. It leads to the Tronc des Āmes at the top of the steps, considered the island's oldest monument. Back down the steps, where a huge "ka" fitted with an eternal flame, celebrates the memory of the unknown slave. Below, a former prison completes this memorial visit. The ruined building is enveloped by the aerial roots of a cursed fig tree (ficus), which seems intent on destroying it. Slaves are said to have taken part in its construction in the ^19th century, but none were ever locked up there. A municipal by-law prohibits access to the building due to the risk of landslides.