As part of the Journées Européennes du Patrimoine 2025 (European Heritage Days 2025), the town of Saint-Pierre has once again opted for an original way of rediscovering its history: an immersive escape game, set up in the heart of the ruins of the former prison. Designed and run by the Heritage-Culture-Tourism department, this life-size game called “Sauve qui peut!” offers participants an experience that’s both fun and deeply rooted in the memory of the place.
A site steeped in history, revisited through play
The Saint-Pierre prison is an emblematic place, forever marked by the eruption of Mount Pelée in 1902. Of this tragedy, which destroyed the entire city and claimed almost 28,000 victims, the figure of Louis-Auguste Cyparis remains, one of the best-known survivors, locked in an isolation cell whose thick walls are said to have protected him from the flames and ashes. Even today, visitors come to see “Cyparis’ dungeon”, without always taking the time to linger over the rest of the site.
It was precisely this observation that motivated the creation of the escape game,” explains Manon Kouby, cultural mediator in the town’s heritage department:
“The prison site is known, but not really known. Many people walk past without asking themselves what these spaces represent. The game allows us to rediscover its architecture and organization in a lively way.”
Cultural mediation that combines learning and participation
Conceived over six months ago, “Sauve qui peut!” is part of a participative approach to heritage. Participants progress through a game of enigmas and observation, examining the details of walls and stones to understand how the building works.
This year, the national theme of the Heritage Days – “Heritage and Architecture” – inspired a new dimension to the game.
“We included more questions on the architectural features of the site,” says Manon Kouby. “Participants spotted the bolt holes, signs of a former floor, or the stonework and basins. They took a new look at the prison, through its construction.”
Here, the escape game becomes a tool for observation and interpretation, where each clue leads not only to the solution of theescape game, but also to a better understanding of Saint-Pierre’s urban history and material heritage.
A sensitive experience of a place of memory
In the ruins of the prison, the escape game takes on a special resonance. The cracked walls, the traces of the disaster and the remains of the cells recall the fragility of the city at the time and the strength of its memory. To take part in the Escape Game is to confront this tension between past and present: to learn while having fun, while measuring the emotional impact of a tragically famous space.
This approach, supported by the Heritage-Culture-Tourism Department, illustrates a clear desire to transform the passive visit into an immersive experience.
“The aim is to give everyone access to this heritage, whether through games, guided tours or the opening of sites that are closed the rest of the year,” emphasizes the mediator. “During the month of September, we’re a bit busy, but it’s a great time.
An initiative open to all
Offered free of charge, on reservation, and for ages 8 and up (with dedicated slots for schoolchildren on Fridays), the escape game is aimed at families, schoolchildren and the curious. The initiative is part of a wider program organized by the town of Saint-Pierre for the 2025 European Heritage Days: guided tours of the prison and theater (Ville d’art et d’Histoire label mentioned on the poster), treasure hunts and a Geogaming treasure hunt, as well as the play “Juste seul, Cyparis” by Jean-Camille Sormain.
Giving new meaning to heritage, stone by stone
Beyond the event itself, the “Sauve qui peut” escape game illustrates a turning point in the way we approach heritage mediation: no longer as a simple vertical transmission, but as a collective and participative adventure.
By inviting visitors to observe, question, seek and understand, Saint-Pierre’s heritage department succeeds in bringing the memory of the 1902 disaster into dialogue with contemporary issues of transmission. Here, play is not a form of entertainment detached from reality: it becomes the vector of a link between generations, between architecture and emotion, between past and present.
In conclusion, Manon Kouby sums up the spirit of this approach with simplicity:
“Come one, come all. The European Days are a highlight, but we welcome the public all year round. All it takes is a call or an e-mail, and we’re always there.”
