ST. JOHN'S MUSEUM PERSIA

This former home of Souques-Pagès, a slave-owning colonist, was once occupied by the directors of the Darboussier factory. The museum was inaugurated in 1987, to mark the centenary of the birth of Alexis Léger, alias Saint-John Perse, the famous poet, diplomat and 1960 Nobel Literature Prize winner. Born in Pointe-à-Pitre in 1887, he never lived in the house. The building, listed as a historic monument on August 17, 1979 and designated a "Musée de France" and "Maison des Illustres", houses a collection of bourgeois costumes, as well as photos, manuscripts and documents belonging to the poet on the second floor. The architecture is reminiscent of New Orleans, notably for its balconies. It was built using a metal structure from the Gustave Eiffel workshops. Another home with similar architecture, the Zévallos house, can be visited in Le Moule. The museum housed in the Souques-Pagès house is currently undergoing a facelift to limit the damage caused by the passage of time. However, its collections continue to live on outside the walls. Various establishments in Pointe-à-Pitre have been selected to exhibit the works and collections.

The house where Saint-John Perse was born, on rue Achille-René-Boisneuf, was demolished after having been abandoned. Some of its remains were looted before the municipal demolition order was issued on September 25, 2017. It should be rebuilt identically, thanks in particular to the ironwork recovered.