FORMER PETIT CANAL PRISON

During the triangular trade, Petit-Canal was the landing site for slave ships carrying slaves from the African continent. The slaves were then sold to the owners of the local farms. Near the church, the ruins of three adjoining rooms with barred windows can still be seen. The roof, however, has all but disappeared. Long considered a former slave prison, historians have managed to date its construction to the early ^19th century. Although slaves may indeed have been involved in its construction, it is unlikely that they were actually imprisoned here. The building would simply have served as a prison for delinquents, and then as a pound for animals.

The enormous roots and branches of the cursed fig tree lend a very special atmosphere to the place. The tree's roots encircle the building, as if nature were reclaiming its rights, enveloping the walls little by little. Legend has it that the slaves who were forced to build the prison planted fig tree seeds so that they could take their revenge by destroying the building. This is why it's known as the "cursed fig tree". The fig tree is actually a member of the ficus family, with roots that grow out of the ground and increase in size as the tree grows. Due to the risk of landslides, a municipal by-law prohibits access to the building.