Cyparis Cachot (prison)

The most visited place in Saint Pierre are the ruins of an eighteenth century prison, around which there is a legend (but real!). The huge volcanic eruption of Mount Pelée in 1902 razed the entire city and killed its population, but there was only one survivor: Cyparis Louis-Auguste, a black man who remained imprisoned in the dungeon prison. Still kept intact by the entrance to the dungeon. As it was located just below the theater,it was protected from the fiery lava and the man got saved, was rescued after 4 days of the eruption. The A. Frank Perret Museum preserves the bars of his cell. Cyparis became the most famous survivor of the disaster, going from criminal to national hero.