Martinique, Diocese of (Sancti Petri ET Arcis Gauuica.) Martinique is one of the French Lesser Antilles, 380 sq. miles in area; it was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493, and colonized by the French about 1625; it was in the hands of the English from 1762 to 1783, was again occupied by them in 1794, 1802, 1809, 1815, and again became French territory in 1818. The name Martinique comes from the Carib word Madinima. On Good Friday, 1640, Péres Bouton and Hempteau, Jesuits, set out for Martinique, where they founded the celebrated Jesuit mission. Péres Ceubergeon and Gueimu, Jesuits, were slain there in 1654 by the revolting Caribs. The “Mémoire concernant la Mission des Péres de la Compagnie de Jésus dans les iles frangaises de l’ Amérique” addressed in 1707 by Pére Combaid to Pére Tamburini, General of the Jesuits, and published in 1907 by Pére Rochemonteix, contains moving details concerning the catechetical instruction of the negro slaves by the Jesuits. In 1753 Pére de Lavalette was named superior general and Prefect Apostolic of the Mission of Martinique; his business transactions were later the cause of very violent attacks on the Society. Pére Rochemonteix has proved that Pére de Lavalette acted thus without the knowledge of even his fellowmissionaries of Martinique or of his superiors at Paris and Rome; that when at length, in 1759 and 1760, the missionaries accused him of taking part in forbidden traffic they had no written proofs, and that the superiors were not certain until 1762, after the investigation of Pére de La Marche, when Pére de Lavalette was deposed, silenced, and sent back to Europe. When in 1848 the Second Republic suppressed slavery in the colonies the prefect Apostolic, Castelli, in a public address hailed the new epoch as an “era of light and evangelical regeneration”.
The Diocese of Martinique is suffragan of the Archdiocese of Bordeaux, was created 27 Sept., 1850, and by a law of 20 July, and a decree of 18 December, 1850. At first the see was fixed at Fort de France, was transferred to St. Pierre on 12 Sept., 1853, and the bishop took the title of Bishop of St. Pierre and Fort de France. Bishop Le Herpeur (1851-1858) organized the pilgrimage of Notre Dame de la Délivrande. Bishop Fava (1872-1879) founded in 1872 a religious weekly bulletin, which later became the daily ‘Le Bien Public”. Martinique was cruelly tried, 8 May, 1902, by the eruption of Mt. Pelée, which had long been considered an extinct volcano. This eruption completely destroyed the town of St. Pierre. The island suffered also from the cyclone of 8 August, 1903, and the earthquakes of 1906. After the catastrophe of 1902 the episcopal residence was again transferred to Fort de France. The Diocese of Martinique contains 170,000 inhabitants and 46 priests. There are in the diocese Fathers of the Holy Ghost, Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny and of St. Paul of Chartres, hospital and teaching sisters. The Congregation of the Daughters of Notre Dame de la Délivrande had its origin in the diocese. The present bishop, Mgr de Cormont, was born at Paris, France, 29 March, 1847, chosen as bishop 14 December, 1899, in succession to Mer Carmené, who resigned.
AUBE, La Martinique (Paris, 1882); ROCHEMONTEIX, Antoine Lavalette i la Martinique (Paris, 1907); Hess, La Catastrophe de la Martinique, Notes d’un reporter (Paris, 1902); LACROIX, La Montagne Pelée et ses éruptions (Paris, 1904); L’épiscopat francais aux xix siecle (Paris, 1907), 339-344.
Georges Goyau.