Grand'Rivière

Grand Rivière is located in Martinique at the extreme north of the island at the foot of Mount Pelee. The small fishing village is surrounded by beautiful cliffs where the sea likes to come and stir. The locals call the village “La commune du bout du monde” (The village at the end of the world).

It presents an extreme diversity of landscapes. You will find the forest, the mountain, the river and the sea together. For a long time, fishing was the main activity, then it was replaced by agriculture. The inhabitants mainly cultivate bananas and sugar cane.

The Beauséjour dwelling is the only dwelling in Grand’Rivière that has remained in an excellent state of preservation. In Martinique, the dwellings are the former properties of settlers. The dwelling consists of a main house, staff quarters and a production building. One can see many very old constructions, notably the Beauséjour canal, a real technical feat for its time, which was used to irrigate the dwelling, but above all to drive the large waterwheel used in the distillery.

At Grand’Rivière you can also see the church of Sainte-Catherine of Alexandria. In 1850, the town was placed under the protection of Sainte-Catherine of Alexandria. A few decades later, the government began work to enlarge the chapel and in 1878 the church was built. In 2007, Etienne Poncelet completely renovated it. The historical monument finally regains its original wooden bell tower with a pointed roof. The church bell tower, slightly set back from the facade on the left side, is out of order.

Grand’Rivière will tell you the history and legends of this atypical region of Martinique.