Saint-Raphaël Vieux Port Live Cam

Saint-Raphaël

Saint-Raphaël comprises a delightful town centre plus a whole cluster of delightful and diverse quarters.

One of Saint-Raphaël's most envied assets is the proximity of its centre to the sea front, allowing visitors to make the most of our water sports facilities while staying near the buzzing heart of the city. You will enjoy a relaxed look round our shops while enjoying Saint-Raphaël's atmosphere and charm of days gone by.

In was here in the old quarter, nicknamed "La Marine", that Bonaparte was welcomed on his return from Egypt in 1799 after his Egyptian campaign.

Enjoy a relaxed walk along the quays and a look round the port's many shops.

Taking its name from the Roman "Vallis Curans" or "Valley of Healing", Valescure is a prestigious residential quarter set under magnificent umbrella pines in a beautiful green setting.

Formerly named the "Boulerie" - a place where boules was played. Boulouris is a welcoming quarter offering some of Saint-Raphaël's finest creeks and beaches.

With its Ile d'Or island, said to have inspired an episode of Tintin, Cape Dramont (which forms part of the Estérel national forest) and its signal station provides one of the coast's finest walking itineraries. Dramont is also an extremely important historic site - on August 15, 1944, 20 000 GI's from the 36th Texan Division landed on the shingle beach (commemorated by a memorial and landings boat).

The impressive red rocks of the Estérel hills offer a unique and characteristic craggy coastline forming 10 kilometres of pretty creeks and beaches. Hovering between emerald green and blue, the clear Mediterranean waters reveal stunning sea beds which can be admired from the "Route de la Corniche" coast road.

The "Sentier du Littoral" or "Coastal Footpath" runs 8 km along the coast, passing by Santa Lucia, Boulouris and Le Dramont.

The discovery of typical tools on several prehistoric sites reveal human presence dating back to the start of the Paleolithic period. Several dolmens (funeral monuments) and menhirs (standing stones) are evidence of settlements in the Esterel mountains from the first Neolithic period.

The numerous antique wrecks loaded with amphorae discovered off Saint-Raphaël's coast reveal an intense and prosperous maritime activity during the Roman era.

During Caesar's reign, "Forum Julii" (Fréjus) was one of Mare Nostrum's biggest ports. Saint-Raphaël, then called "Epulias" or "Feasts", became a thriving resort coveted by rich Romans, who built many beautiful houses there facing the sea.

After the fall of the Roman Empire came the era of bloody invasions by barbaric hordes. The town was pillaged constantly and the Estérel Hills became a sanctuary for local inhabitants. The monk Saint Honorat, searching for a place of meditation, lived as a hermit in the hills before founding an abbey on Lérins Island. Meanwhile, the town endeavoured to defend itself from the Saracens and Turks from inside its city walls. The victory of Guillaume de Provence over the invaders finally put an end to this reign of terror and destruction.

The Archangel Raphaël, who is represented on the town's coat of arms along with a young boy named Tobit, is at the origin of the town's name. Legend tells that thanks to Raphaël, young Tobie was able to save his father from blindness.

Bonaparte arrived triumphantly at the port of Saint-Raphaël on October 9, 1799 after his victorious Egyptian campaign. Fifteen years later, the fallen emperor left for exile in Elba from the very same port.

In the early 19th century the village still had its traditional layout, with two distinct quarters - the "Village" and the "Marine". Nobody could have guessed the extraordinary touristic turn the town would later take.

The famous composer Charles Gounod is said to have composed "Romeo and Juliette" at his house the "Oustalet doù Capelan" (Priest's House) in 1865.

The writer and journalist Alphonse Karr moved to the resort in 1887. Already well-known in Paris, he contributed largely to the town's fame via his flattering articless and prestigious guests such as Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Théophile Gautier and Guy de Maupassant.

The charismatic engineer Felix Martin rapidly saw that Saint-Raphaël's railway line and sumptuous setting lent the town a huge touristic potential. During his time as Mayor (from 1878 to 1894), he transformed the little fishing town into a fashionable resort.

Eglise Notre Dame de la Victoire de Lepante de style néo-byzantin Saint-Raphaël's main buildings and streets (Casino, Promenade des Bains, Notre Dame de la Victoire Church) were built at that time. Many superb Palladian-style villas also appeared, often designed by the town architect Pierre Aublé. Within fifteen years, Saint-Raphaël had successfully completed its transformation.

A monument on Avenue Frédéric Mistral is dedicated to the famous poet of the same name, considered as the true founder of Provençal culture.

The last words of the artist Jean-Louis Hamon, one of the first artists to set up home in Saint-Raphaël, were: "To die here is to die doubly too early".