Saint-Palate-on-sea

Geography

The commune is a seaside resort near Royan, within the Presqu'île of Arvert at the end of the Estuaire of the Gironde. The communes bordering are Palmyre (commune of the Mathes) with the west, and Vaux-sur-Mer in the east. In north, the commune is bordered by the Forêt of Coubre. On the littoral of the commune five are Plage S, or Conche S:

the beach of Nauzan, divided with Vaux-sur-Mer
the beach of the Office, or beach of Saint-Palate, in the vicinity immediate of the downtown area
the beach of the Shallow
the beach of Concié, consisted mainly of rocks
the beach of the Large Coast

History

At the origin, towards the end of the XIXè century, the common door the name of Office-the-Baths, the name of the Office of the Customs established on its territory, become from the office of Station, but always existing in a new building. It is then a peripheral village of Royan, which profits from the sudden passion for the sea bathings. Although distant of a few kilometers of Royan, the commune accommodates the rich person middle-class residences of these first holiday makers. The majority of these houses are always visible today, although part of their ground was built.

The tourist expansion of the common date of the Fifties, when the downtown area is arranged and that a great number of buildings are built.

Administration

Demography

At the time of the tourist season, in July and August, the total population, including the Camp-site S, exceeds the 30.000 inhabitants. This seasonal increase in population imposed on the commune the construction of a great number of infrastructures, in particular the Purification plant built in edge of the forest, near the Golf.

Places and monuments

Headlight of Ground-Negro the Negro Ground headlight (red and white) mark the entry of the Southern Master key of the Gironde (between Cordovan and the Low register point) for the ships by its directional fire. Mainly masked by the maritime pines which surround it during many years, it is again very visible of the coastal road since the storm of 1999.

the Pont of the Devil is a natural bridge dug by the sea under the rocks with the extemity of the beach of the Shallow (formerly beach of Pierrières).

the Puit of the auture Puit of Auture is a natural excavation on the cornice close to Concié, from which leave powerful geysers by tempète.

the Old bell-tower Bell-tower of the small Romance church (12th century) of Saint-Palate. This bell-tower is a remarkable historic building, bell-tower in Romance style raises formerly to constitute a land-mark for navigation with the mouth of the Gironde.

Personalities related to the commune

Trotsky before its departure for the Mexico was little of time the host of this seaside resort. He remained in a villa (destroyed since), close to the beach of the Shallow. Malraux in its Mémoires tells to have met it and to have discussed with him close to the railway to the Tram.

The Scottish painter John Duncan Fergusson (1874-1961) visited Saint-Palate at the time of a stay with Royan with his friend the painter Samuel John Peploe (1871-1935) and the woman of this last. This in the years 1910 and 1911, it carried out many drawings with the pencil and the pastel.

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