Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer
{{Infobox French commune
|name = Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer
|native name = {{native name|oc|Sant Mandrier de Mar}}
|commune status = Commune
|image = Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer P1150078.jpg
|caption = A view of the harbour with the SNSM rescue boat and fishermen's boats
|image coat of arms = Blason Saint-Mandrier.svg
|arrondissement = Toulon
|canton = La Seyne-sur-Mer-2
|INSEE = 83153
|postal code = 83430
|party = LR
|term = 2020–2026
|intercommunality = Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée
|coordinates = {{coord|43.0833|05.9333|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation min m = 0
|elevation max m = 124
|area km2 = 5.12
|population = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
}}
Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer ({{IPA|fr|sɛ̃ mɑ̃dʁije syʁ mɛʁ}}, {{literal translation}} "Saint-Mandrier on Sea"; {{langx|oc|Sant Mandrier de Mar}}), commonly referred to simply as Saint-Mandrier (former official name), is a commune in the southeastern French department of Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Across the harbour from the military port of Toulon, first naval base in Europe by size and homeport of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, flagship of the French Navy, Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer is home to a fishing port of its own, tucked into a small inlet.
History
Situated on the Isle de Sépet until a causeway was constructed between 1630 and 1657, what is now the town shows evidence of long habitation. A Phoenician tower once stood on the island, while the area was cleared for farming in the 6th century. The Phoenician tower was converted to a Christian chapel in 566 and the church of Saint-Honorat was built in 1020.
File:Gustave Fayet - Vue de Saint-Mandrier.jpg in 1890]]
The causeway to the mainland (the Isthme des Sablettes) not only led to the creation of an independent town, but the use of the area as a battery station for the heavily fortified port of Toulon. Fishing and naval work dominated the town, with the construction of the "Infirmerie Royale Saint-Louis" naval hospital, becoming the "Hôpital Maritime Saint-Mandrier" in 1818. In the 19th century, Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer also was home to sailmaking. Naval aviation and the Fleet Mechanics and Pilots School (École des Mécaniciens et Chauffeurs de la flotte, GEM) were located in the town in the 1930s.
In World War II, Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer was fortified with two turrets, each mounting a pair of 340mm naval guns taken the French battleship Provence. This fortress controlled the approaches to Toulon; the range and power of these guns was such that a considerable Allied naval force was required to destroy them. Part of the fleet and the first to engage the battery was the Free French battleship Lorraine, sister ship to the Provence and mounting the same type of gun. The Allies, who termed the battery 'Big Willie', dedicated a battleship or heavy cruiser to shelling it every day; eventually {{USS|Nevada|BB-36|6}} silenced the guns on 23 August 1944, although the fortress would not be taken until 28th.{{cite book|author1=Karig, Commander Walter |author2=Burton, Lieutenant Earl |author3=Freeland, Lieutenant Stephen L. | title=Battle Report (Volume 2); The Atlantic War |publisher=Farrar and Rinehart, Inc. |location=New York/Toronto |year=1946 |id= |pages=386–387}}{{cite journal |last=Burton |first=Earl |date=September 2004 |title=The Other D-Day: The Invasion Of Southern France |journal=Sea Classics |volume=37 |issue=9 |pages=60–70 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4442/is_200409/ai_n16065904/pg_7/?tag=artBody;col1 |access-date=2009-06-23 }}
In 1948, the World War I cemetery in Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer was made a national necropolis. In 1961, it received the remains of an additional 975 Italian soldiers killed in World War II while fighting for the Allies. The cemetery also features the necropolis of Admiral Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville, who served as commander of the naval forces in the Mediterranean under Napoleon.[https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur/var/a-decouvrir-dans-le-var-le-tombeau-pyramidal-de-saint-mandrier-2023330.html "À découvrir dans le Var : le tombeau pyramidal de Saint-Mandrier"], France 3 (in French), 3 April 2021.
Cimetiere Militaire Franco - Italien, Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer - panoramio (1).jpg|French and Italian flags at the war cemetery
Cimetiere Militaire Franco - Italien - panoramio.jpg|Stairs to the Latouche Tréville necropolis
On 11 April 1950, Saint-Mandrier was made an independent commune from La Seyne-sur-Mer.[https://www.histpat-laseyne.net/wa_files/special_20st_20mandrier1.pdf "Regards sur l'histoire de Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer"] (in French). Louis Clément of the Socialist Party (PS) served as its first mayor for over 20 years. On 16 April 1951, it was officially renamed Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer.
Geography
=Climate=
Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa). The average annual temperature in Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer is {{cvt|15.9|C}}. The average annual rainfall is {{cvt|647.0|mm}} with October as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around {{cvt|24.2|C}}, and lowest in January, at around {{cvt|9.2|C}}. The highest temperature ever recorded in Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer was {{cvt|39.3|C}} on 7 July 1982; the coldest temperature ever recorded was {{cvt|-9.5|C}} on 9 January 1985.
{{Weather box|width=auto
|location = Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer (Cape Cepet, altitude 115m, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1968–2020)
|single line = Y
|metric first = Y
|collapsed = y
|Jan record high C = 19.9
|Feb record high C = 20.2
|Mar record high C = 25.4
|Apr record high C = 27.0
|May record high C = 30.7
|Jun record high C = 36.7
|Jul record high C = 39.3
|Aug record high C = 35.5
|Sep record high C = 33.6
|Oct record high C = 28.8
|Nov record high C = 22.7
|Dec record high C = 19.5
|Jan record low C = -9.5
|Feb record low C = -9.0
|Mar record low C = -5.8
|Apr record low C = 0.4
|May record low C = 5.0
|Jun record low C = 9.0
|Jul record low C = 13.0
|Aug record low C = 11.4
|Sep record low C = 7.6
|Oct record low C = 3.0
|Nov record low C = -0.2
|Dec record low C = -1.8
|Jan high C = 11.8
|Feb high C = 12.2
|Mar high C = 14.9
|Apr high C = 17.3
|May high C = 21.2
|Jun high C = 25.3
|Jul high C = 28.0
|Aug high C = 28.3
|Sep high C = 24.3
|Oct high C = 20.0
|Nov high C = 15.3
|Dec high C = 12.6
|year high C = 19.3
|Jan mean C = 9.2
|Feb mean C = 9.2
|Mar mean C = 11.5
|Apr mean C = 13.8
|May mean C = 17.4
|Jun mean C = 21.3
|Jul mean C = 23.9
|Aug mean C = 24.2
|Sep mean C = 20.6
|Oct mean C = 17.0
|Nov mean C = 12.6
|Dec mean C = 10.1
|year mean C = 15.9
|Jan low C = 6.6
|Feb low C = 6.1
|Mar low C = 8.1
|Apr low C = 10.2
|May low C = 13.7
|Jun low C = 17.3
|Jul low C = 19.7
|Aug low C = 20.0
|Sep low C = 16.8
|Oct low C = 13.9
|Nov low C = 10.0
|Dec low C = 7.6
|year low C = 12.5
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 71.9
|Feb precipitation mm = 50.0
|Mar precipitation mm = 42.0
|Apr precipitation mm = 55.4
|May precipitation mm = 37.6
|Jun precipitation mm = 27.0
|Jul precipitation mm = 6.5
|Aug precipitation mm = 12.1
|Sep precipitation mm = 70.3
|Oct precipitation mm = 107.7
|Nov precipitation mm = 99.0
|Dec precipitation mm = 67.5
|year precipitation mm = 647.0
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 6.0
|Feb precipitation days = 5.4
|Mar precipitation days = 4.8
|Apr precipitation days = 5.7
|May precipitation days = 4.0
|Jun precipitation days = 2.7
|Jul precipitation days = 1.1
|Aug precipitation days = 1.6
|Sep precipitation days = 4.7
|Oct precipitation days = 6.8
|Nov precipitation days = 8.0
|Dec precipitation days = 6.2
|year precipitation days = 56.8
|source 1 = Météo-France{{cite web
| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_83153001.pdf
| title=Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records
| language = fr
| publisher = Météo-France
| access-date = September 8, 2022}}}}
Demographics
{{Historical populations
|source = EHESS{{Cassini-Ehess|33102|Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer}} and INSEE (1968-2020)[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7633058?geo=COM-83153#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE
|percentages = pagr
|align = left
|1954|4327
|1962|2321
|1968 |3018
|1975 |4272
|1982 |4946
|1990 |5175
|1999 |5232
|2009 |5773
|2014 |5809
|2020 |6100
}}
Its inhabitants are called Mandréens (masculine) and Mandréennes (feminine) in French.
{{clear left}}
Economy
Once home to a French Naval Air station, its location near the homeport of the French Navy at Toulon has meant that the military has played a huge economic role in the life of the town. Increasingly, Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer is focused on the tourist industry.
{{Gallery
|title=Sights in Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer
|File:Eglise Saint-Mandrier, Saint-Mandrie-sur-Mer, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France - panoramio.jpg|Église Saint-Mandrier
|File:Suffren-IMG 8564.jpg|The frigate Suffren in Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer, retired from active service, used as a wave-breaker (2011)
|File:Plage - panoramio (2).jpg|Coastline in Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer
}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{in lang|fr}} [http://www.ville-saintmandrier.fr/ ville-saintmandrier.fr]: official website.
- {{in lang|en}} [http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/var/stmandri/stmandri.htm Provenceweb.fr: Saint Mandrier sur Mer].
{{Var communes}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saintmandriersurmer}}