Clairmarais

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Coordinates: 50°46′27″N 2°18′03″E / 50.7741666667, 2.30083333333

Administration
Commune of Clairmarais
Location

Country	France
Region	Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Saint-Omer
Canton	Saint-Omer-Nord
Intercommunality	Communauté d'agglomération de Saint-Omer
Mayor	Nicole Heneman (2001-2008)
Statistics
Elevation	1 m–34 m (avg. 9 m)
Land area^¹	18,02 km²
Population^² (1999)	689
- Density	38/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	62225/ 62500
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once.

Clairmarais is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais département in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.

1 Geography
2 Population
3 History
4 Places of interest
5 See also
6 External links
7 Notes

[edit] Geography

A farming village situated in reclaimed marshland, 2 miles (3km) northeast of Saint-Omer, on theD209 road. The Neufosse canal, which connects the Aa and Lys Rivers, passes by the commune.

[edit] Population

Population Evolution
1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999
397	410	480	598	687	689
Census count starting from 1962 : Population without double counting

[edit] History

A Clairmarais fisherman

It owes its origin to the famous Cistercian abbey founded by St. Bernard in 1140. He gave the village the name of Claromarisco (later to be Clarus Mariscus and then Clermarez) because of the huge marshes and many rivers in the vicinity. The Dutch Klaarmares and Flemish Cleremeersch names reflect the nature of the terrain, too.
Clairmarais became a fully-fledged common in 1790 when the abbey was going to be destroyed and sold as a national asset during the French Revolution.

[edit] Places of interest

Romelaëre nature reserve

The church of St.Bernard, dating from the 19th century.
A windmill.
Vestiges of the 13th century abbey including the remains of the entrance to the abbey with gatehouse buildings, a chapel and dovecote.
The 18th century Cistercian farm of Cloquette.
The cave of Notre-Dame de Lourdes which is host to a pilgrimage on August 15th. It is the largest in France, north of the Seine.
The National nature reserve of Romelaëre ^[1].