Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie
Encyclopedia
Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie is a commune
in the Vendée
department in the Pays de la Loire
region
in western France.
It is situated on the Côte de Lumière
. The community originated in 1967 from the unification of two communities on either side of the estuary
of the river the Vie, Saint-Gilles-sur-Vie and Croix-de-Vie.
Known for its important fishing harbor (specializing in sardine
s), since 1982 Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie is also classified as a seaside resort
.
In the Middle Ages
, the city, organized around the main street (now the Rue Torterue) became an important port, capable of accommodating ships with a capacity of one hundred tons.
Croix-de-Vie appeared on the right bank of the Vie, when the Duke of Montausier granted Saint-Gilles plots of land on the "small island" so they could build their homes. In 1610, Marie Beaucaire built the large pier and the wharf and then a chapel from 1611 to 1613. This building was used for worship until the construction of Sainte-Croix Church in 1896 which is used today.
In 1622, King Louis XIII of France
spent dinner one night in Croix de Vie, in a mansion located what is now in General de Gaulle street.
Although Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie was three hours from Nantes
and ten hours from Paris, the development of railways from the 1880s increasingly allowed holidaymakers to reach the seaside town. A trade union initiative was created in 1922.
On January 23, 1967, Saint-Gilles-sur-Vie and Croix-de-Vie merged to create the new municipality of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. The fusion was the idea of Marcel Ragon and Charles Grasset. Ragon became the first mayor of the new municipality while the latter, who had served as deputy mayor of Croix-de-Vie from March 1965 until December 1966, went on to serve under Ragon as deputy mayor of the new municipality until 1995.
In 1982, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie was classified as a resort.
about 70 kilometres from Nantes
, 320 from Bordeaux
, 450 from Paris and 600 from Lyon
, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie covers an area of 10.5 square kilometres.
It is bordered by the communes
of Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez
to the north, Le Fenouiller
to the north east, Givrand
to the southeast, and Bretignolles-sur-Mer
to the south.
It is the chef-lieu
of the canton
of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, which has an area of hectares and contains 14 communes: L'Aiguillon-sur-Vie
, Brem-sur-Mer
, Bretignolles-sur-Mer
, La Chaize-Giraud
, Coëx
, Commequiers
, Le Fenouiller
, Givrand
, Landevieille
, Notre-Dame-de-Riez
, Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez
, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, Saint-Maixent-sur-Vie
et Saint-Révérend
.
The climate of the Vendée
department is oceanic. The coast experiences significant rainfall in winter and a few storms. Under the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, the climate is cool in summer. However, the Vendée is one of the sunniest departments of France in terms of the energy received, with 1268 kWh per m² per year.
of Rennes
. It is the seat of a deanery
of four parish
es: Sainte Anne de Riez (around the town of Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez), Saint Jean du Gué Gorand (Coëx), Saint Nicolas de l'Océan (Bretignolles-sur-Mer), and Notre Dame de la Vie (Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie). The latter, Notre Dame de la Vie, has four bell tower
s--in the churches of Saint-Gilles and Sainte-Croix, as well as those of Fenouiller and Givrand.
In the middle of the sixteenth century, a protestant church was founded in Saint-Gilles-sur-Vie; it was destroyed in November 1665, as one of seventeen protestant churches in the Bas-Poitou, the region that corresponds to today's Vendée.
, actress Isabel Otero, and the Prime Minister of France
François Fillon
.
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 Vendée
Vendée
The Vendée is a department in the Pays-de-la-Loire region in west central France, on the Atlantic Ocean. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée river which runs through the south-eastern part of the department.-History:...
department in the Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire is one of the 27 regions of France. It is one of the regions created in the late 20th century to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" ¹...
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 western France.
It is situated on the Côte de Lumière
Côte de Lumière
The Côte de Lumière refers to the seaside resorts located along the coast of the Vendée, France.Communes situated on the coast, from north to south, include:* Noirmoutier-en-l'Ile* Barbâtre* La Barre-de-Monts* Notre-Dame-de-Monts* Saint-Jean-de-Monts...
. The community originated in 1967 from the unification of two communities on either side of the estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the river the Vie, Saint-Gilles-sur-Vie and Croix-de-Vie.
Known for its important fishing harbor (specializing in sardine
Sardine
Sardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. Sardines are named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, around which they were once abundant....
s), since 1982 Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie is also classified as a seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
.
History
In the ninth century, the monks of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard settled in what was then called Sidunum, a priory and a fortified church.In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, the city, organized around the main street (now the Rue Torterue) became an important port, capable of accommodating ships with a capacity of one hundred tons.
Croix-de-Vie appeared on the right bank of the Vie, when the Duke of Montausier granted Saint-Gilles plots of land on the "small island" so they could build their homes. In 1610, Marie Beaucaire built the large pier and the wharf and then a chapel from 1611 to 1613. This building was used for worship until the construction of Sainte-Croix Church in 1896 which is used today.
In 1622, King Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
spent dinner one night in Croix de Vie, in a mansion located what is now in General de Gaulle street.
Although Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie was three hours from Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
and ten hours from Paris, the development of railways from the 1880s increasingly allowed holidaymakers to reach the seaside town. A trade union initiative was created in 1922.
On January 23, 1967, Saint-Gilles-sur-Vie and Croix-de-Vie merged to create the new municipality of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. The fusion was the idea of Marcel Ragon and Charles Grasset. Ragon became the first mayor of the new municipality while the latter, who had served as deputy mayor of Croix-de-Vie from March 1965 until December 1966, went on to serve under Ragon as deputy mayor of the new municipality until 1995.
In 1982, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie was classified as a resort.
Location
Situated on the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean, along the côte de LumièreCôte de Lumière
The Côte de Lumière refers to the seaside resorts located along the coast of the Vendée, France.Communes situated on the coast, from north to south, include:* Noirmoutier-en-l'Ile* Barbâtre* La Barre-de-Monts* Notre-Dame-de-Monts* Saint-Jean-de-Monts...
about 70 kilometres from Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
, 320 from Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, 450 from Paris and 600 from Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie covers an area of 10.5 square kilometres.
It is bordered by the communes
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...
of Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez
Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez
Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-External links:*...
to the north, Le Fenouiller
Le Fenouiller
Le Fenouiller is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...
to the north east, Givrand
Givrand
Givrand is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France....
to the southeast, and Bretignolles-sur-Mer
Bretignolles-sur-Mer
Bretignolles-sur-Mer is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...
to the south.
It is the chef-lieu
Chef-lieu
A chef-lieu is a town or city that is pre-eminent, from an administrative perspective, in any given sub-division of territory in France and some French-speaking countries.-In Algeria:...
of the canton
Cantons of France
The cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 342 arrondissements and 101 departments.Apart from their role as organizational units in certain aspects of the administration of public services and justice, the chief purpose of the cantons today is to serve as...
of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, which has an area of hectares and contains 14 communes: L'Aiguillon-sur-Vie
L'Aiguillon-sur-Vie
L'Aiguillon-sur-Vie is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...
, Brem-sur-Mer
Brem-sur-Mer
Brem-sur-Mer is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.It was created in 1974 with the union of Saint Martin-de-Brem and Saint Nicolas-de-Brem...
, Bretignolles-sur-Mer
Bretignolles-sur-Mer
Bretignolles-sur-Mer is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...
, La Chaize-Giraud
La Chaize-Giraud
La Chaize-Giraud is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...
, Coëx
Coëx
Coëx is a commune of the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...
, Commequiers
Commequiers
Commequiers is a commune of the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France....
, Le Fenouiller
Le Fenouiller
Le Fenouiller is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...
, Givrand
Givrand
Givrand is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France....
, Landevieille
Landevieille
Landevieille is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France....
, Notre-Dame-de-Riez
Notre-Dame-de-Riez
Notre-Dame-de-Riez is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...
, Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez
Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez
Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-External links:*...
, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, Saint-Maixent-sur-Vie
Saint-Maixent-sur-Vie
Saint-Maixent-sur-Vie is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...
et Saint-Révérend
Saint-Révérend
Saint-Révérend is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...
.
Climate
The meteorological measurements began in 1877 in Saint-Gilles.The climate of the Vendée
Vendée
The Vendée is a department in the Pays-de-la-Loire region in west central France, on the Atlantic Ocean. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée river which runs through the south-eastern part of the department.-History:...
department is oceanic. The coast experiences significant rainfall in winter and a few storms. Under the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, the climate is cool in summer. However, the Vendée is one of the sunniest departments of France in terms of the energy received, with 1268 kWh per m² per year.
Religion
The town has two Catholic churches (one on either side of the river), the churches of Saint-Gilles et Sainte-Croix. Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie is part of the diocese of Luçon, which is part of the Ecclesiastical provinceEcclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
of Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
. It is the seat of a deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
of four parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es: Sainte Anne de Riez (around the town of Saint-Hilaire-de-Riez), Saint Jean du Gué Gorand (Coëx), Saint Nicolas de l'Océan (Bretignolles-sur-Mer), and Notre Dame de la Vie (Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie). The latter, Notre Dame de la Vie, has four bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
s--in the churches of Saint-Gilles and Sainte-Croix, as well as those of Fenouiller and Givrand.
In the middle of the sixteenth century, a protestant church was founded in Saint-Gilles-sur-Vie; it was destroyed in November 1665, as one of seventeen protestant churches in the Bas-Poitou, the region that corresponds to today's Vendée.
The Brotherhood of the Sardine
The Brotherhood of the Sardine (Confrérie de la Sardine) was founded in 1991. Headed by a grandmaster, it is devoted to the promotion of the seaside resort and the celebration of products from the sea, especially the sardine, which has become a speciality of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie. Notable "sympathizers" include sailor Michel DesjoyeauxMichel Desjoyeaux
Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux Michel Desjoyeaux (born 16 July 1965, in Concarneau, is a French sailor, known for competing successfully in several long-distance single-handed races...
, actress Isabel Otero, and the Prime Minister of France
Prime Minister of France
The Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
François Fillon
François Fillon
François Charles Armand Fillon is the Prime Minister of France. He was appointed to that office by President Nicolas Sarkozy on 17 May 2007. He served initially until 13 November 2010 when he resigned from being prime minister before a planned cabinet reshuffle.On 14 November 2010, Sarkozy...
.
Personalities
- Marcel Baudouin (1860–1941) -physician
- Narcisse PelletierNarcisse PelletierNarcisse Pelletier , born in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie in the Vendée, was abandoned at the age of 14 in late September or early October, 1858, during the dry season, on eastern Cape York Peninsula in Australia...
(1844–1894) -castaway - Benjamin Bénéteau, founder of the commune in 1884.
- Marie de Beaucaire (1535–1613), Baronness of Rié. Did much to facilitate development into a town.,.
- Pierre DesprogesPierre DesprogesPierre Desproges was a French humorist. He was famous for his elaborate, eloquent and above all, virulent diatribes criticizing anything and everything....
(1939–1988), comedian - Pierre Garcie-Ferrande, (1430–1520) cartographer.
- Émile Goué (1904–1946), composer, composed Wanda (1934) situated in Croix-de-Vie.