Located in the Eastern Caribbean, Saint Lucia is a very special island as it is the only independent country in the world named after a woman. Official records of the St. Lucia government confirm that the country was named in honor of St. Lucy of Syracuse, who was martyred in the fourth century. Most countries are named after abstractions or men, but the island is named for its very detailed colonial history and is often referred to as “Helen of the West Indies” due to the repeated changes in British and French government rule over the island. According to the National Trust of Saint Lucia records, French sailors who were shipwrecked on Saint Lucia Day (December 13) named the island after Saint Lucia, thereby establishing the world’s only matrilineal sovereign identity.
How Saint Lucia Became The only country named after a woman
Saint Lucia is the only independent country in the world named after a historical woman, according to official records submitted by the government of Saint Lucia. Its namesake is St. Lucy of Syracuse, a recorded historical figure and fourth-century martyr.The name “Saint Lucia” was given to the island by French sailors who were shipwrecked on the island on December 13, 1502, which coincided with the liturgy of Saint Lucia, cementing the island’s unique nomenclature. All other islands in the Caribbean, including St. Kitts (St. Christopher), St. Vincent, etc., all have male origins in their names; therefore, St. Lucia is the only island in the Caribbean with a matrilineal name.
Journey from Hewanorra to Saint Lucia
The Kalinago (Carib people) were the island’s original inhabitants and called the island Hewanorra. The exact meaning of the name can be found in the archives of the National Trust of Saint Lucia, where it means “Land of the Iguanas”. The transition from this indigenous title to the French-granted “Saint Lucia” provides an important place-name case study for historians analyzing colonial maritime expansion throughout the Eastern Caribbean. The duality of indigenous and colonial names still forms the basis of cultural and archaeological research in the country today.
Nickname “Helen of the West Indies”
Saint Lucia’s nickname of “Helen of the West Indies” is well known and recorded by the Commonwealth. It developed because the island was an ideal military location in the 1700s and 1800s, with stunning scenery. The island was mired in war many times and, like Helen of Troy, experienced a geopolitical tug-of-war that saw 14 transfers of power between Britain and France, seven per empire, before it was finally awarded to Britain in 1814.
one UNESCO World Heritage Site : The iconic Piton
Saint Lucia’s identity is inextricably linked to Piton, two iconic volcanic spiers rising directly from the Caribbean Sea. Both pitons on the lake have been designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. UNESCO awarded the site this international designation for its “extraordinary natural beauty” and “geothermal uniqueness”. The designation creates a framework for scientists and the cultural community to explain why Saint Lucia, named after the patron saint of light, remains a “jewel” of the Antilles and protected by international law for its geological significance
