When going through the former capital of Martinique, Saint Pierre, the whole city in and of itself can be seen as a historical monument. The whole city is built upon its ruins, which were created by the eruption of Mount Pelee in 1902. This can go to represent the tragedy faced by the entire population, thousands of people, of Saint Pierre at this time. However, the monument which holds a significant amount of relevance is the prison cell of Ludger Sylbaris, who is known as the “lone survivor” of the eruption of Mt. Pelee.
The prison cell is located beside Le Theatre. This prison cell was very secure at the time. It was an underground cell, with no windows except for a little slit above the entryway, thus making the cell very poorly ventilated. This ended up saving the life of Ludger Sylbaris during the historical tragedy of Saint Pierre. Ludger Sylbaris is considered the “lone survivor” of the eruption of Mount Pelee. Thousands of people had died during the eruption, whether it was due to the gases from the eruption or trying to save themselves by going into the water (suffocation, being burned to death, or being boiled alive). There were some other survivors of the eruption, however they were not really considered survivors for the reason that they had died within a couple of days after the incident due to the side effects of the eruption. Sybaris was considered the “lone survivor” because he was the only person who had really survived the event, as he had survived several years afterward. The only reason he had survived was due to this underground prison cell. He was thrown into prison since he was known for getting into fights around the town. The guards had confined him in this underground cell to teach him a lesson, and this had ended up saving his life. Even though he is the only known survivor of the eruption, the incident had left its mark on him as well. While the cell was mostly impenetrable, the little slit window above the door allowed some of the gases from the eruption to enter the cell, which had burned one entire side of Sylbaris’ body.
While this monument does tell the tale of the “lone survivor”, it also serves as a reminder of the tragedy that befell the entire city of Saint Pierre in 1902. Not only is the prison cell a reminder of the tragic incident, but the whole city of Saint Pierre is a huge representation of what had happened that day as the whole city is built upon the ruins which were left. The ruins show how the city was before the eruption, and integrating these ruins with the newer parts of the city reminds the people of Martinique, more specifically those of Saint Pierre, of what had happened on that fateful day, and how they have not completely recovered from that time.
