The town of Marigot appeared around 1969 and owes its name to the many swamps or marigots that used to occupy the zone. Marigot grew rapidly over the …
MARIGOT, THE FRENCH TYPICAL TOWN
The town of Marigot appeared around 1969 and owes its name to the many swamps or marigots that used to occupy the zone. Marigot grew rapidly over the 18th century thanks to sugar cane production and became the capital of the French part, from where successive governors conducted their official business. In 1970, the filling of a section of the lagoon enabled the extension of the village. Another land filling project in 1990 facilitated the construction of the road along side the water front.
Today, a pretty promenade has been developed on the water front, running from Fort Louis Marina to the cemetery via the open-air market, in the warm hues of the sun. Now the headquarters of the “sous préfecture” for the two northern islands of St. Martin and Saint Barths, the town of Marigot is home to all the local government departments.
Marigot is made up of a number of districts: Agrément, Hameau Du Pont, Galisbay, Concordia, Sandy Ground, Saint James and Bellevue
Rue de la République
One of Marigot’s main streets, Rue de la République boasts 19th-century traditional facades that have for the most part retained their architectural authenticity. The ground floors of these dwellings are of stone and lime mortar construction, while the first floors are wooden and built using traditional house construction methods. Facades face the street and have at least one upstairs gallery decorated with friezes, known as gingerbreads, and finely tooled balustrades.
Catholic church
Built on the Fort Louis road, the church was constructed in 1941.
Before this time, and due to the predominance of Anglo-Saxon, mainly protestant, culture on the island, Catholics found themselves in the minority and had no place of worship. St. Martin’s first priest arrived on the island in 1936. In 1941, Father Wall took up office in St. Martin and initiated the construction of Marigot’s Church. He also masterminded the construction of Grand Case Church, which was built at roughly the same time using the same stone and lime technique.
In 1971, a number of extensions, notably the presbytery, were added to the Marigot Church.
Very recently, the small chapel adjoining the presbytery was completely renovated by the young people of St. Martin as part of a hands-on school project under the supervision of the “Compagnons de France”, using mid-20th-Century construction techniques.
Museum “Sur la trace des Arawaks”
Immerse yourself in the history of Saint Martin with a visit to the island’s museum.
Find out about the first humans to arrive on our island in 3200BC. These South American nomads cut their tools from stones and shells.
At the museum visitors can admire the superb pottery discovered at Hope Estate. Dating back to between 500BC and 600AD, sculpted figurines, polished stone tools, shell adornments and tombs will transport you to the heart of these neo-Indian cultures, who came to St. Martin’s shores from the Orinoco basin aboard a 60-person canoe.
The Saint Martin museum also tells the history of the colonisation of St. Martin by the Spanish, the French, the Dutch and the English, the history of the Treaty of Concordia, slavery, the era of the sugar farms and the exploitation of the salt ponds.
The journey through 5000 years of history is told over 200m² of exhibition space and culminates in a collection of historic vistas of St. Martin in the early 20th Century.
Saint Martin’s museum is located in an old building that dates back to 1789 and is situated 7, Rue Fichot in Marigot.
The museum is open from 9am to 1pm and from 3pm to 5pm. Contact: 06 90 56 78 92.
Fort Saint Louis
Overlooking Marigot Bay and with views across to Anguilla, Fort Louis was built in 1789 by the people of Marigot under the command of Jean Sébastien de Durat, then governor of Saint Martin and Saint Barths on behalf of the French Crown. The primary purpose of the fort was to defend the warehouses at Marigot port, where produce such as salt, coffee, sugar cane and rum was stored. Subsequently abandoned, Fort Louis fell into ruins. The fort was restored in the 19th Century but abandoned a second time. During this period the fort also witnessed struggles between the French and the English, the latter landing on a regular basis from Anguilla to loot the warehouses. Since 1993, restoration and redevelopment works have been undertaken under the auspices of the Hope Estate archeological association, in close collaboration with adapted milita
ry service units (SMA) from Guadeloupe.
Bilingual information panels provide visitors with a cultural history of the site, which offers breathtaking views over Marigot, Simpson Bay Lagoon, Simpson Bay, Anguilla, the Terres Basses and Baie Nettlé.
The large building at the foot of the Fort on the side of the mountain houses the” sous préfecture”. To get to Fort Louis, take the steps from the “sous préfecture” car park.
Contact : 05 90 29 22 84.
Old prison
Located down a narrow alleyway that leads up to Fort Louis, the prison was built at the same time as the Fort under the orders of Jean Sébastien de Durat, then governor of Saint Martin and Saint Barths on behalf of the French Crown.
Prisoners were detained here until 1968, at which time the prison was transformed into the Saint Martin fire station. Although the building has changed significantly, its Rue Pérrinon façade remains close to the original.
There is currently no prison on the French side of Saint Martin and prisoners are detained in Guadeloupe’s Basse-Terre prison. (Source: “Caraïbe Françaises Sint Maarten Guide”, Sepcart publications).
Durat bridge
Built at the same period as Fort Louis and Marigot prison, Durat Bridge, which was built in 1789, it is a stone bridge on the edge of Marigot in the direction of Grand Case. The people requested that the bridge be named Durat Bridge in honour of their much-respected governor. A large stone at the centre of the parapet bore this inscription. However, the inscription, which the revolutionaries saw as a symbol of aristocratic power, was later removed.
Today, Durat Bridge, in the Hameau du Pont district, allows rainwater from the surrounding hills to run into Galisbay Pond. .
Tomb of François-Auguste Perrinon
François-Auguste Perrinon, born in Martinique in 1812, was an active figure of the abolition of slavery. A shareholder in salt pool operating companies on Saint Martin, his 1847 work entitled “Outcome of experiments on the work of slaves” demonstrated that free and paid slaves worked harder than slaves who were mistreated. In 1848, he was part of Victor Schoelcher’s Commission, where he defended the idea of paying slaves. At the end of his political career he retired on Saint Martin to exploit the salt ponds once more and died here in 1861. His tomb can be found in Marigot Cemetery.
