Notre-Dame-De-L'Assomption church, located in Terre-de-Haut, is a Catholic church of great historical and cultural importance. Listed as a national historic monument by ministerial decree on December 31, 1979, the church is dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption. The dedication of the parish in 1666 celebrated a significant French victory over English troops on August 15, Assumption Day. The Sieur du Lion established the cult and feast in honor of this landmark event. Since then, Notre-Dame de l'Assomption has been venerated as the patron saint of Terre-de-Haut, an emblematic figure of local faith and history.
The first parish report dates back to 1846, concerning the islands of Terre-de-Haut and Terre-de-Bas, both of which had roofing problems and were administered by Abbé François. In 1852, Abbé Delpont took over the parish of Terre-de-Haut.
Shortly before Christmas 1945, Father Jean-Marie Offrédo was appointed to the Terre-de-Haut parish. On his arrival, he quickly realized that the church was too small to accommodate the growing number of parishioners. Determined to provide a worthy place of worship for his community, he conceived an ambitious expansion project. His plan called for the addition of a transept to increase the church's capacity, and the renovation of the bell tower, which he described as a “horrible pile of rusty sheet metal”.
For years, Father Offrédo had been considering enlarging and transforming his church to better accommodate sailors. A study suggested various improvements, including the removal of the existing bell tower and the addition of a more modern square tower. However, for this extension to be possible, an agreement had to be reached with the Town Hall and additional land acquired. Despite extensive research in local archives, it proved difficult to determine the exact size of the original plot. Nevertheless, the project is now underway.
The project to renovate the sanctuary was initiated thanks to generous donations from the sailors of the “Jeanne d'Arc” and an agreement with the mayor, Monsieur Théodore SAMSON. The project took shape in October 1955 with the start of construction work on the transept by the RAMKELAOUANE company. The work was completed on February 16, 1956, when the renovated sanctuary was blessed by Jean Gay, Bishop of Guadeloupe. The ceremony attracted hundreds of children and the mayor of Terre-de-Haut. At the same time, Father Offredo purchased a baptismal font for the church.
February 19 1956 was a day of jubilation in Les Saintes. On that day, Father Offrédo, after years of dedication and hard work, saw his efforts crowned with success with the restoration and enlargement of his church.
On Sunday November 21, 2004, at 7:47 a.m., a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the region, causing significant damage to the bell tower. The structure was so badly damaged that the authorities were forced to demolish it for safety reasons. In its place, a wooden bell tower was built, following exactly the model of the one that Father Offredo had demolished in 1955.
(Terre de Bas church)
Let's return to the present and take a look at how the church was built. Saint-Gobain's shipwrights gave the ceiling of their church the shape of an inverted hull, inspired by the construction of their boats. The bell tower houses four bells: the first dates from April 10, 1820 and comes from the Villain foundries. The second is a screw bell donated by Monsieur Lasserre, Deputy Commissioner of the Nantes City Hall, in 1884. The third was requested by the mayor of Terre-de-Haut, Charles Foy, and by the parish priest. The fourth and final bell was installed in April 2006 by the Bishop of Guadeloupe.
