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Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer |
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| Fortified church | |
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Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
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| Administration | |
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| Country | France |
| Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
| Department | Bouches-du-Rhône |
| Arrondissement | Arles |
| Canton | Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer |
| Mayor | Roland Chassain (2008–2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 0–6 m (0–20 ft) (avg. 4 m/13 ft) |
| Land area1 | 374.61 km2 (144.64 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 2,294 (2008) |
| - Density | 6 /km2 (16 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 13096/ 13460 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (lit. "Saint Marys of the Sea", Provençal Occitan Lei Santei Marias de la Mar) is the capital of the Camargue (Provençal Occitan Camarga) in the south of France. It is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department by the Mediterranean Sea. Population: 2,478 (50,000+ during the summer holidays). It has the second-largest area of all communes in Metropolitan France, smaller only than that of neighboring Arles.
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The town is situated in the Rhône delta, about 1 km east of the mouth of the Petit Rhône distributary. The commune comprises alluvial land and marshland, and includes the Étang de Vaccarès, a large lagoon. The main industry is tourism. Agriculture is also significant, and the Camargue's horses and bulls are famous. There is a bus service to Arles, 38 km away.
As "Ra" (see below), the town was noted in the 4th century AD by the geographer Rufus Festus Avienus. In the 6th century, the archbishopric of Arles was active and created a monastery or church in the town, from which it first obtained the name St Mary. In the 9th century the town suffered raids from the Vikings and later from the Saracens. "Discovery" of the relics of Mary Jacobé and Mary Salomé first occurred in the 15th century. Their 500th anniversary was celebrated by the future Pope John XXIII.
In 1720 the town was spared by the plague. During the French Revolution, the church was partially destroyed and the stones recycled.
In 1838, the town obtained its current name, after the three Maries (Marys) of its history. Shortly afterward, the pilgrimage (see below) was instituted. A narrow-gauge railway line to Arles, opened in 1892, ran for more than half a century but closed in 1953.
In the early 20th century, the town was a literary and artistic centre, with visits inter alios from such figures as United States writer Ernest Hemingway and Spanish painter Picasso. The vicinity was used as setting for various films.
In the second half of the 20th century, the population increased. Retired people and holiday accommodation largely supplanted the fishermen and farmers, with a corresponding political shift to the right in elections.
The three saints Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome and Mary Jacobe, whose relics are the focus of the devotions of pilgrims, are believed to be the women who were the first witnesses to the empty tomb at the resurrection of Jesus. After the Crucifixion of Jesus, Mary Salome, Mary Jacobe, and Mary Magdalene set sail from Alexandria, Egypt with their uncle Joseph of Arimathea. According to a longstanding French legend, they either sailed to or were cast adrift - either way they arrived off the coast of what is now France, at "a sort of fortress named Oppidum-Râ". The location was known as Notre-Dame-de-Ratis (Râ becoming Ratis, or boat) (Droit, 1963, 19); the name was later changed to Notre-Dame-de-la-Mer, and then in 1838 to Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
The town is a pilgrimage destination for Roma (Gypsies), who gather yearly in the town for a religious festival in honor of Saint Sarah. Dark-skinned Saint Sara is said to have possibly been the Egyptian servant of the three Marys.
| Year | 1793 | 1800 | 1806 | 1821 | 1831 | 1836 | 1841 | 1846 | 1851 | 1856 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1000 | 644 | 783 | 530 | 543 | 837 | 910 | 669 | 1013 | 1083 |
| Year | 1861 | 1866 | 1872 | 1876 | 1881 | 1886 | 1891 | 1896 | 1901 | 1906 |
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| Population | 1000 | 1006 | 951 | 926 | 918 | 1159 | 1025 | 1446 | 1531 | 1439 |
| Year | 1911 | 1921 | 1926 | 1931 | 1936 | 1946 | 1954 | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1413 | 1352 | 1567 | 1723 | 1564 | 1687 | 2207 | 2179 | 2244 | 2120 |
| Year | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 2045 | 2232 | 2479 | 2294 |
The windsurfing Canal where the last three world sailing speed records were set is on the outskirts of the town.