Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church
Religious building, Historic site and monument
in Basse-Pointe
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The only elements of the masonry church dating from the late 17th century are parts of the choir and a wall taken up as an underpinning.
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The rest of the building corresponds to the so-called "rectangular" type, which also includes the churches of Lamentin and Lorrain. This style draws its originality from a double option compared to the Baroque churches of the island: the width of the upper floor, surmounted by a balustrade, is equal to that of the ground floor.
Moreover, the main facade is no longer plated on the building but is an integral part of the building, whose panelled vault, rebuilt in 1934, takes the model of the...The rest of the building corresponds to the so-called "rectangular" type, which also includes the churches of Lamentin and Lorrain. This style draws its originality from a double option compared to the Baroque churches of the island: the width of the upper floor, surmounted by a balustrade, is equal to that of the ground floor.
Moreover, the main facade is no longer plated on the building but is an integral part of the building, whose panelled vault, rebuilt in 1934, takes the model of the original wooden church.
A plaque indicates that on December 26th, 1934, the church was blessed and rebuilt on the initiative of the priest Henri Varin de La Brunelière.
A little history:
Once upon a time there was a bell...
In May 2002, a group of divers from the Military Sports Club discovered by chance, during a leisure trip, an isolated bronze bell, resting by -20 metres, on the sandy bottom of the Loup-Garou islet off the coast of Le Robert.
After over 300 years in the marine environment, the bell was entrusted to a laboratory in mainland France for long treatment operations necessary for perfect decontamination, in order to ensure its stabilisation and conservation.
On July 9, 2005, the Loup-Garou bell, discovered by chance, was officially handed over to the church of Basse-Pointe in the presence of a large crowd, the regional director of cultural affairs and all the actors who participated in this fabulous discovery whose wish was to see the journey begun over 300 years ago come to an end.
Today, the bell has been transferred to the parish hall where the general public can discover this exceptional heritage object for the history of Martinique.
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