Notre Dame de l'Assomption, les Saintes


Notre-Dame de l'Assomption is a Roman Catholic Church of the Îles des Saintes, an island in the archipelago of the French Overseas department of Guadeloupe. It is located in rue Jean Calot in Fond-du-Curé, a quartier of Terre-de-Haut Island. It is Latin Rite parish which is included in the diocese of Guadeloupe, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Fort-de-France, and a member of the Antilles Episcopal Conference. It is registered on the National Heritage Site of France by ministerial decree of 31 December 1979.

Origin

The parish was dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption in honour of the French victory of 15 August 1666, against the English troops. Sir. du Lion established the cult and the feast day on the island in remembrance. Notre-Dame de l'Assomption became from then on the Patron saint of Terre-de-Haut.

Bell tower

Four bells compose the bell tower of the church: the first one is a bell dated since 10 April 1820 which results from foundries Villain, caster in le Havre. The second is a bell offered by M. Lasserre, commissioner of Marie Maria Victoria, melted by Astier in Nantes in 1884. The third bell was melted for the parish under Charles FOY's mandature, Mayor of Terre-de-Haut and Abbé Ruffin, Priest of the parish. it was melted by Ferdinand Farnier, in Robecourt and baptized Maria Antonia. The fourth and last bell was installed on 23 April 2006 and baptized by Ernest Cabo, Bishop of Guadeloupe. It was offered by the municipality at the end of the rebuilding of the bell tower destroyed by the 2004 Les Saintes earthquake.