Saint-Raphaël, Var
Encyclopedia
Saint-Raphaël is a commune
in the Var
department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
region
in southeastern France
.
Immediately to the west of Saint-Raphaël lies another, older, town called Fréjus
, and together they form an urban agglomeration known as Fréjus
Saint-Raphaël. The Var lies in the region called Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
, often abbreviated to PACA.
In the second half of the nineteenth century the township came under the influence of mayor Felix Martin and writer Alphonse Karr, and owing to their efforts and its beneficial climate the commune developed into a seaside resort popular with artists, sportsmen and politicians.
It is the headquarters of the Fréjus
Saint-Raphaël canton, which is the economic and cultural center of eastern Var and lies in the arrondisement of Draguignan. Its inhabitants are called Raphaëlois in French generally, or Rafelencs in Provençal Occitan.
Saint-Raphaël has four large sandy beaches: one near the city centre, called the Veillat; one at Boulouris; one at Le Dramont, and the fourth at Agay. There are two smaller ones at Anthéor et Le Trayas.
by the river Pédégal: fed by the Garonne, the Adrets-of-l'Esterel, Saint-Jean-de-Cannes and Saint-Jean-de-l'Esterel.
The River Agay flows from the mountains down through the village of that name, and is fed by the streams Cabre, Perthus and Grenouillet. The Grenouillet is the most important of these streams, having average flows of between 43 cu m/s in July and 1160 cu m/s in January.
The River Valescure, which is chanelled through the Barrage des Crous (dam), discharges into the River Reyran at Fréjus
.
stands at 618 metres (2027 ft), Rastel d'Agay at 287 m (942 ft), Pic de l'Ours (carrying a transmitter aerial) at 492 m (1614 ft), Pic du Cap Roux at 453 m (1486 ft), and Pic d'Aurèle at 322 m (1056 ft).
Situated almost entirely on the Esterel Massif, the commune sits on soil of red porphyr, which makes for very picturesque scenes along the coast where the soil and rocks are exposed on cliff faces and rocky shores. Three important and spectacular rocks dominate the seascape: Cap Roux at 360 m (1181 ft), Saint-Pilon at 295 m (968 ft), and the Rock of Saint-Barthélemy.
commune. To the extreme north-east, beyond Le Trayas, is the small resort of Miramar, lying within the commune of Théoule-sur-Mer. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south of the whole Saint-Raphaël commune.
Private, commercial and freight services are conducted at:
The coastal double-track rail link between Saint-Raphaël and Nice passes over a substantial viaduct constructed right on the shoreline at Anthéor. These tracks were of strategic importance to the Axis forces during World War II for supplying matériel to units in France.
There were three separate air raids made on this viaduct from England, between September 1943 and February 1944, involving a total of thirty-one Lancaster bombers operating some seven hundred miles from base. Aircraft of the second raid flew on to Rabat, and from the third raid on to Sardinia. One Lancaster from the first raid was lost, and a flight lieutenant bomb aimer on the third raid was killed by enemy fire, some of which came from ships at sea. All the raids failed in their objective and the rail link was not severed.
During World War II
, on August 15, 1944, it was one of the sites of a beach landing in Operation Dragoon
, the Allied invasion of southern France
.
with: Jermuk
, Armenia
Ghent
, Belgium
, since 1958 Sankt Georgen im Schwarzwald, Germany
, since 1972 Tiberias, Israel
, since 2007
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Var
Var (département)
The Var is a French department in the region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in Provence, in southeast France. It takes its name from the river Var, which used to flow along its eastern boundary, but the boundary was moved in 1860...
department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur or PACA is one of the 27 regions of France.It is made up of:* the former French province of Provence* the former papal territory of Avignon, known as Comtat Venaissin...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in southeastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Immediately to the west of Saint-Raphaël lies another, older, town called Fréjus
Fréjus
Fréjus is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one town...
, and together they form an urban agglomeration known as Fréjus
Fréjus
Fréjus is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one town...
Saint-Raphaël. The Var lies in the region called Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur or PACA is one of the 27 regions of France.It is made up of:* the former French province of Provence* the former papal territory of Avignon, known as Comtat Venaissin...
, often abbreviated to PACA.
In the second half of the nineteenth century the township came under the influence of mayor Felix Martin and writer Alphonse Karr, and owing to their efforts and its beneficial climate the commune developed into a seaside resort popular with artists, sportsmen and politicians.
It is the headquarters of the Fréjus
Fréjus
Fréjus is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one town...
Saint-Raphaël canton, which is the economic and cultural center of eastern Var and lies in the arrondisement of Draguignan. Its inhabitants are called Raphaëlois in French generally, or Rafelencs in Provençal Occitan.
Geography
Saint-Raphaël is located at the extreme eastern end of the Var, along the border with the adjacent département of Alpes-Maritimes, which occupies the far south-eastern corner of France at the frontier with Italy. The commune has a total of thirty-six kilometres of Mediterranean coastline, owing mainly to the many coves and creeks formed between the natural region of the Esterel Massif and the sea. This places it second only to Marseilles, with fifty-seven kilometres of coastline. The commune is 89.59 km2 in extent. It is almost completely urbanised in the west, but includes over 60 km2 of protected areas of natural forest and the Esterel mountains.Saint-Raphaël has four large sandy beaches: one near the city centre, called the Veillat; one at Boulouris; one at Le Dramont, and the fourth at Agay. There are two smaller ones at Anthéor et Le Trayas.
Rivers
Saint-Raphaël is separated from FréjusFréjus
Fréjus is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one town...
by the river Pédégal: fed by the Garonne, the Adrets-of-l'Esterel, Saint-Jean-de-Cannes and Saint-Jean-de-l'Esterel.
The River Agay flows from the mountains down through the village of that name, and is fed by the streams Cabre, Perthus and Grenouillet. The Grenouillet is the most important of these streams, having average flows of between 43 cu m/s in July and 1160 cu m/s in January.
The River Valescure, which is chanelled through the Barrage des Crous (dam), discharges into the River Reyran at Fréjus
Fréjus
Fréjus is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one town...
.
Mountains
From east to west the commune has several mountain summits rising from the massif. Mont Vinaigre in FréjusFréjus
Fréjus is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one town...
stands at 618 metres (2027 ft), Rastel d'Agay at 287 m (942 ft), Pic de l'Ours (carrying a transmitter aerial) at 492 m (1614 ft), Pic du Cap Roux at 453 m (1486 ft), and Pic d'Aurèle at 322 m (1056 ft).
Situated almost entirely on the Esterel Massif, the commune sits on soil of red porphyr, which makes for very picturesque scenes along the coast where the soil and rocks are exposed on cliff faces and rocky shores. Three important and spectacular rocks dominate the seascape: Cap Roux at 360 m (1181 ft), Saint-Pilon at 295 m (968 ft), and the Rock of Saint-Barthélemy.
Adjacent places
Immediately to the west and north-west of Saint-Raphaël lies the ancient town of Fréjus. To the north lie the hamlets of Saint-Jean-de-l'Esterel et Saint-Jean-de-Cannes, both within the FréjusFréjus
Fréjus is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one town...
commune. To the extreme north-east, beyond Le Trayas, is the small resort of Miramar, lying within the commune of Théoule-sur-Mer. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south of the whole Saint-Raphaël commune.
Climate
St. Raphaël is located on the Côte d'Azur and enjoys a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, humid winters. The Mistral wind occurs, although sometimes the town is sheltered from this by the Massif des Maures and the Esterel. It is perhaps more exposed to the Levant (strong, easterly, wet) or the Sirocco (very strong, southerly, hot) air flows, but fortunately these occur rarely. The wind velocity record was established on 30 January 1986, with gusts of 140 km per hour.| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum mean temperature (°C) | 13 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 25 | 21 | 16 | 13 | 19.6 |
| Minimum mean temperature (°C) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 9.1 |
| Average mean temperature (°C) | 8 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 14.4 |
| Sunshine (hours) | 147.8 | 148.9 | 203.2 | 252.1 | 234.9 | 280.6 | 310.3 | 355.5 | 319.5 | 247.0 | 201.5 | 145.5 | 2748.1 |
| Mean monthly precipitation (mm) | 89.6 | 85.4 | 72.3 | 62.1 | 48.7 | 37.9 | 14.6 | 42.6 | 59.0 | 117.0 | 108.9 | 85.6 | 823.4 |
| Source : Monthly Climate in Saint-Raphaël. | |||||||||||||
Rail
The town's modern rail station is named 'Saint-Raphaël-Valescure' and offers national, regional and local train services.- High-speed TGV and iDTGV trains - from Paris-Gare du Lyon (destination Nice);
- Corail Lunéa - from Paris-Gare d'Austerlitz (destination Nice);
- Lines 03 and 06 of TER Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur - from Marseille-Gare Saint-Charles (destination Nice);
- TER Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur - local stopping service to Nice.
Air
International scheduled air passenger services are available at:- L'aéroport Nice Côte d'Azur: forty-five kilometres.
- L’aéroport de Marseille Provence: 118 kilometres.
Private, commercial and freight services are conducted at:
- L'aéroport de Cannes - Mandelieu: twenty kilometres.
- L'aéroport de La Môle - Saint-Tropez: thirty-four kilometres.
Bus
Saint-Raphaël is well served by bus routes, and has a busy bus station in the town centre.- Express service by LER PACA - Route 21: Aix-en-Provence to Nice.
- Fast service (1 hour 15 mins) to Nice Airport by S.V.A. (Société Varoise d'Autocars)
- Departement (County) services by Sodetrav (La Société Départementale des Transports du Var)
- Routes 27, 28, 31, 53 and 104
- Town services by AggloBus Fréjus/Saint-Raphael - Routes 1a, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10.
Boat
The shuttle "Boats of Saint-Raphaël" provide fast connections to St. Aygulf, Port-Fréjus, the islands of Lerins, Saint-Tropez and Cannes.Distances
- Fréjus: 3 km (1.9 mi)
- Agay: 11 km (6.8 mi)
- Sainte-Maxime 23 km (14.3 mi)
- Draguignan: 33 km (20.5 mi)
- Saint-Tropez: 39 km (24.2 mi)
- Cannes: 41 km (25.5 mi)
- Brignoles: 66 km (41 mi)
- Nice: 66 km (41 mi)
- Toulon: 75 km (46.6 mi)
- Monte Carlo: 89 km (55.3 mi)
- Marseilles: 111 km (69 mi)
- Montpellier: 270 km (167.8 mi)
- Lyon: 415 km (257.9 mi)
- Perpignan: 419 km (260.4 mi)
- Paris: 695 km (431.9 mi)
- Bordeaux: 747 km (464.2 mi)
History
In 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte and his forces arrived by ship from Egypt, prior to his coup d'état in Paris, and landed at a fishing village that was the commune of Saint-Raphaël.The coastal double-track rail link between Saint-Raphaël and Nice passes over a substantial viaduct constructed right on the shoreline at Anthéor. These tracks were of strategic importance to the Axis forces during World War II for supplying matériel to units in France.
There were three separate air raids made on this viaduct from England, between September 1943 and February 1944, involving a total of thirty-one Lancaster bombers operating some seven hundred miles from base. Aircraft of the second raid flew on to Rabat, and from the third raid on to Sardinia. One Lancaster from the first raid was lost, and a flight lieutenant bomb aimer on the third raid was killed by enemy fire, some of which came from ships at sea. All the raids failed in their objective and the rail link was not severed.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, on August 15, 1944, it was one of the sites of a beach landing in Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up...
, the Allied invasion of southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Twin towns
Saint-Raphaël is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Jermuk
Jermuk
Jermuk is a spa town in the southern Armenian province of Vayots Dzor, 53 km east of Yeghegnadzor, the capital of Vayots Dzor. It was a popular destination during the Soviet era and nowadays is still famous for its hot springs and its brand of mineral water that is bottled in the vicinity...
, Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, since 1958 Sankt Georgen im Schwarzwald, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, since 1972 Tiberias, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, since 2007