GUADELOUPE. - G. is the largest (1,509 sq km) of the Lesser Antilles.
Together with the neighboring islands of Marie-Galante, Les Saintes, Petite Terre, Désirade, St. Barthélemy and the French part of St. Martin (in total 1,780 sq km, with 270,000 inhabitants, mostly mulattoes and blacks; whites make up barely 8%), it has formed a French department since 1947. The capital is Basse-Terre (14,000 inhabitants), but the most important center, and also the best port, is Pointe-à-Pitre (45,000 inhabitants), both on the island of G. The islands produce sugar cane (from which rum is extracted), bananas, coffee, cocoa, pineapples and vanilla, which are the main export commodities. The extensive and rich forests are little exploited: livestock raising (cattle) is moderate. For the map of the ecclesiastical circumscriptions, v. ill. ANTILLE, I, coll. 1449-50.
Bibliography
Giuseppe Caraci
THE DIOCESE OF GUADALUPE
The Spaniards took no interest in the island of G., discovered by Columbus in 1493, while the French took possession of it in 1635, landing there 500 colonists accompanied by 4 Dominican fathers. In the same year an apostolic prefect was established for the Dominican missions in G. and the adjacent islands. In 1646 the Capuchins arrived, who set up their main center on the island of St. Kitts, and 2 years later the Jesuits, who were then expelled in 1764. The Carmelites reached the island in 1681 and were authorized to take over parishes. In 1789 there were on the island 32 parishes and 33 missionaries for 101,971 inhabitants, of whom 13,466 were white, 5,044 colored and 85,461 slaves. Under the French Revolution Catholicism suffered greatly: the apostolic prefects were suppressed and the activities of religious were restricted. After several attempts at agreement with the government of Paris, in 1821, with the approval of the civil authority, it was finally possible to appoint an apostolic prefect. The territory was erected into a diocese suffragan of Bordeaux on Sept. 27, 1850, passed under the jurisdiction of the S. Congregation of Propaganda Fide in 1909 and entrusted to the Congregation of the Holy Spirit on March 4, 1912. The diocese has an area of 1,780 sq. km. and counts 312,000 inhabitants, almost all Catholics. Protestants number 1,400 and pagans about 300.
From the statistical data of 1949 it appears that in G. there are working 53 fathers of the Holy Spirit and 3 Dominicans; 6 brothers and 209 sisters; 213 catechists. The parishes are 38, the parochial districts 3. The schools are divided into 7 elementary with 834 boys; 2 middle with 719 pupils; 2 higher with 472 pupils; 38 churches, 11 chapels, 1 hospital and 2 pharmacies, 3 asylums, 1 review Clarités with a print run of 5,000 copies.
Bibliography4 works
Antonio Mazza