St Lucia Attractions – Castries
Apart from its attractive position in the natural harbor bay, Castries with a population of 50 000, St Lucia’s modern capital, has little in the way of interesting sights to offer. The town was named after the French naval minister Marechal, who did a great deal to help the colony’s economic development at the end of the 18th century. In 1927 and 1948, two major fires reduced the entire old part of the town to ashes and most of the rebuilding was done in concrete. A stroll through the center is very rewarding in other ways, however, and provides an exciting glimpse of everyday Caribbean life.
Castries Market
On Fridays and Saturdays, the large Castries Market spills out on to Jereme Street and Peynier Street, heaving with a noisy seething mass of the country folks, townies and visitors. The local farmers pile up the fruits of their labors – colored sweet potatoes, papayas, bananas, heavy breadfruit, and all the aromatic spices that flourish in the fertile volcanic soil. Craftsman lay out their work alongside the fishermen’s catch or stalls selling old chairs and furniture.
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
At the southern end of Peynier Street stands the somber-looking Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception whose interior walls are lined with colorful murals by the acclaimed St Lucian artist Dunstan St Omer. The main square in front, still bordered by the only 19th century buildings that escaped the fires, was renamed by the proud city fathers in 1993 in honor of their son Derek Walcott, after he put St Lucia on the literary map, and is pleasantly shaded by a 400-year old Saman tree.
Morne Fortune
The very best view of town and island is from Fort Chalotte on Morne Fortune, or the “Hill of Luck”, 2 miles south of Castries. Renovated and used as a college, the fort was built by the French and English, and has witnessed many a battle between the two colonial powers.