Saintes, Charente-Maritime
Saintes | |
---|---|
Subprefecture and commune | |
Coordinates: 45°44′47″N 0°38′00″W / 45.7464°N 0.6333°W | |
Country | France |
Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
Department | Charente-Maritime |
Arrondissement | Saintes |
Canton | Saintes |
Intercommunality | CA Saintes |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2026) | Bruno Drapron[1] |
Area 1 | 45.55 km2 (17.59 sq mi) |
Population (2021)[2] | 25,518 |
• Density | 560/km2 (1,500/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 17415 /17100 |
Elevation | 2–81 m (6.6–265.7 ft) (avg. 47 m or 154 ft) |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
Saintes (French:
In Roman times, Saintes was known as Mediolanum Santonum. During much of its history, the name of the city was spelled Xaintes or Xainctes.
Primarily built on the left bank of the Charente, Saintes became the first Roman capital of Aquitaine. Later it was designated as the capital of the province of
Today, Saintes remains the economic heart of the center of the department, and it is an important transportation hub.[4] A few major industrial businesses operate (in electronics, rail repair, construction of hoists). The city's commerce and service sector is large, featuring the headquarters of Coop Atlantique, and administrative functions of state, courts, and legal services; banks, schools, and a hospital. Beyond this, property maintenance, retail, and tourism sectors provide large numbers of jobs.
Because of its noteworthy Gallo-Roman, medieval and classical heritage, Saintes is a tourist destination. It has been a member of the French Towns and Lands of Art and History since 1990.[5] It has several museums, a theater, cinemas, and organizes numerous festivals.[6] A European center of musical research and practice is in its Abbaye aux Dames.[7]
Geography
Location
Saintes is on the banks of the river
Geology
A
Nearer to the river, the Cretaceous plateau gives way to more or less recent alluvial grasslands composed of bri, a type of clay.
The uplifting of Alps and Pyrenees began during the Maastrichtian, 65 Ma ago, and continued for a part of the Paleogene.
Districts
The town is divided into 14 administrative areas : Les Boiffiers, Les Tourneurs, L'Ormeau de Pied, Recouvrance, La Fenêtre, Saint-Rémy, Saint-Vivien, Saint-Eutrope, Saint-Pierre, Saint-Pallais, Saint-Sébastien de Bouard, La Récluse, Le Maine-Saint-Sorlin and Bellevue.[10]
Left bank (Rive gauche)
The neighborhood of Saint-Pierre lies between the hill of the Capitole and the river Charente. It possesses a significant number of historic monuments justifying its forming of the core of a conservation area that spans over 65 hectares (0.25 sq mi).[11] Built around the cathedral Saint-Pierre, the place du marché and the place du Synode, it is crossed by pedestrian alleys around which can be found numerous medieval, renaissance and classic buildings.[12]
Almost immediately west lies the neighbourhood of Saint-Eutrope, that has developed over the centuries around a rocky elevation bounded by two small valleys at right angles to the river. Dominated by the Saint-Eutrope basilica, it also contains the remains of a Clunian priory and several hillside houses. Little valleys lead to the vallon des Arènes (meaning arenas vale) below, where a Roman amphiteatre survives, in a park named "Parc des Arènes".[12]
The cours Reverseaux and cours des Apôtres de la liberté separate Saint-Eutrope (and its hill) in the west from the faubourg Berthonnière. These partly separate the hill of the Capitole to the north. Once outside-of-the-walls, the faubourg included some hostelries and inns for pilgrims.
The neighbourhoods of les Boiffiers and Bellevue are separated from the rest of the city by the avenue de Saintonge; they consist mainly in low-rent housing (HLM) and suburban housing standing on a plateau bounded by the Charente. Bellevue has 1,560 inhabitants and spans 17 hectares (42 acres); it is listed as a zone urbaine sensible (ZUS).[14]
La Recouvrance, in a triangle formed by the cours du maréchal Leclerc, the cours Genet and the rocade ouest (bypass), contains a
The north of the urban area, the Saint-Vivien neighborhood has an old faubourg (exurb) inhabited since antiquity where the thermes de Saint-Saloine, ancient Roman baths are found.[12]
Right bank (Rive droite)
The neighborhood of Saint-Pallais was probably urbanized in antiquity. Structured around the main access way of the Roman city, it was then linked to the town center by a bridge with a monumental entrance, the
Adjacent communes
Transportation
Roads
Saintes is a transportation hub of some importance, connected by two motorways and several secondary roads, national and departmental, that converge towards the rocade (partly a 2x2) that bypasses the city on its western and southern sides.
The
The A837 autoroute is a spur road of the A10 linking the area to Rochefort, the third city in the department.
Saintes is on the Route Centre-Europe Atlantique, an expressway that links it to Limoges and Lyon in the east – its dualled western section Saintes-Saujon opened to traffic in 2008 making the two 25 minutes apart by car. An extension towards Royan on the coast completed in the following decade.
The rocade is formed in its western part by the national road 137, that meets two key roads, the departmental road 728 (that links Saintes to the Island of Oleron by Marennes) and the departmental road 150 that intersects near the locality of Diconche. In its southern part, the rocade integrates the national road 141, that runs east towards Cognac, Angoulême and Limoges. The departmental road 150, at the end of the east part, runs towards Niort by Saint-Hilaire-de-Villefranche et Saint-Jean-d'Angély. The town center of Saintes is bypassed by the avenue de Saintonge or departmental road 24, that crosses the Charente with the bridge de Saintonge, opened in 1969.
Train
The
In 1894, the station was the starting point of a 3 km (1.9 mi) long network of tramways that was stopped in 1934. A secondary railway was built, also in 1894, 42 km (26 mi) long linking Saintes to Mortagne-sur-Gironde, by Gémozac, then a somewhat important economic center ; however, this railway was dismantled in 1947.[15]
The importance of this railway network is explained by the designation of Saintes as the seat of the Compagnie des chemins de fer des Charentes in 1867, then as the regional seat of the VIIIth arrondissement of the Chemins de fer de l'État from 1911 to 1971. The SNCF is still a major employer in the city, and new depots and workshops have been opened in 2009 and 2010.
Population
Its inhabitants are called Saintaises and Saintais in French.[16]
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: EHESS[17] and INSEE[18] |
Landmarks
- The Roman road crossed the Charente. The bridge was demolished in 1843 but the Arch was saved by Prosper Mériméeand rebuilt at its present location on the bank of the river.
- Ruins of the Roman amphitheatre on the main, left bank of the Charente, near the summit of the hill upon which the town was built. Its notable tiers (cavea) are built against the hill and an embankment.
- Some remnants of the thermae of Saint-Saloine (1st century) are also visible, in particular an aqueduct.
- Fragments of the third century rampart (to the city walls) can be seen in the Place des Récollets. It was built with stones taken from the Roman buildings.
- Ecclesiastical
- The Madame de Montespanwas educated here.
- Other churches: the Basilique Saint-Eutrope (Basilica of Saint Eutropius) and the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre, Saintes Cathedral: [1] Basilique Saint-Eutrope: [2],[3]
- The
- Museums
- the Musée archéologique, which has a restored Roman cart/wagon of the first century amongst a collection of sculptures and inscriptions.
- the Musée du Présidial, which has a mannerist architecture and a collection of regional ceramics and paintings of the 15th to 18th century.
- the Musée de l'Échevinage, which exhibits porcelain of Sèvres and paintings of the 19th and 20th century
Hospital
The hospital of Saintes is the most important hospital center of the department of Charente-Maritime
Education
Saintes is in the catchment of and under the auspices of the académie de Poitiers.
|
|
|
- Two U.S. universities conduct year round study abroad programs at the C.E.A.U., the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture, and the University of Southern California.
Local TV channels
Saintes is served by France 3 Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Twin towns – sister cities
Saintes is twinned with:[19]
See also
- Saintongeaislanguage
- Communes of the Charente-Maritime department
Notes
- Rochefort, Saint-Jean-d'Angélyand Saintes.
References
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ (in French) Charente-Maritime, encyclopédie Bonneton, p. 64
- ^ "Saintes : Pôle économique". Ville de Saintes (in French). Archived from the original on 21 August 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ "Le label Ville d'art et d'histoire". L'atelier du patrimoine de Saintonge (in French). Retrieved 9 January 2010.
- ^ "Saintes : Culture et Patrimoine". Ville de Saintes (in French). Archived from the original on 29 May 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
- ^ (in French) Synthèse des travaux de la commission de stratégie, L'abbaye aux Dames, centre européen de recherche et de pratique musicale de Saintes, note de réflexion stratégique, 2003, Read online
- ^ a b c "Quelques villes proches de Saintes". villorama (in French). Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ Saintes, plus de 2,000 ans d'histoire illustrée, Société d'archéologie et d'histoire de la Charente-Maritime, p.11-14
- ^ Contrat urbain de cohésion sociale 2007-2012, 80 pages
- ^ "Le secteur sauvegardé". L'atelier du patrimoine de Saintonge (in French). Retrieved 9 January 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Historique des quartiers". Ville de Saintes (in French). Archived from the original on 15 August 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
- ^ (in French) Le patrimoine des communes de la Charente-Maritime, éditions Flohic, p. 1023
- ^ "ZUS Bellevue". Website of the ministère du travail, des relations sociales .... et de la ville (in French). Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ^ "Les chemins de fer secondaires en France". Fédération des amis des chemins de fer secondaires. Archived from the original on 23 October 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
- ^ Le nom des habitants du 17 - Charente-Maritime, habitants.fr
- ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Saintes, EHESS (in French).
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- ^ "Villes jumelles". ville-saintes.fr (in French). Saintes. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
Bibliography
- (in French) André Baudrit, Saintes au XVIth siècle, (Thèse de Doctorat, Bordeaux 1957), 745 pages.
- (in French) Jean Combes, Gilles Bernard, Histoire du Poitou et des Pays Charentais, Éditions de Borée, 2001 ISBN 978-2-84494-084-1
- (in French) Robert Favreau, Régis Rech et Yves-Jean Riou (directeurs) Bonnes villes du Poitou et des Pays Charentais (XIIth–XVIIIth siècles), Actes du colloque tenu à Saint-Jean-d’Angély les 24-25 septembre 1999, ISBN 2-9519441-0-1
- (in French) Michel Garnier, Christian Gensbeit, À la découverte de Saintes, Patrimoines Médias, 2000, ISBN 2-910137-50-3
- (in French) Daniel Massiou, Histoire politique, civile et religieuse de la Saintonge et de l'Aunis, A.Charrier, libraire-éditeur, Saintes, 1846.
- (in French) Alain Michaud (sous la direction de), Histoire de Saintes, Privat, 1989, ISBN 2-7089-8252-4
- (in French) Pierre Rayssiguier (ouvrage collectif sous la direction de), Saintes, plus de 2,000 ans d'histoire illustrée, Société d'archéologie et d'histoire de la Charente-Maritime, Saintes, 2001
- (in French) Henri Texier, Petite histoire de Saintes, Geste édition, 2003 ISBN 2-84561-092-0
- (in French) Le patrimoine des communes de la Charente-Maritime, éditions Flohic, collection Le patrimoine des communes de France, 2002.
External links
- Saintes History: Urban Development
- (in French) Town council site
- (in French) Tourism office site
- (in French) Pictures of the Abbaye aux Dames
- (in French) Pictures of Saint-Eutrope church: [4] and [5]