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ABOUT SAINT RAPHAEL
HISTORICAL BACK GROUND OF SAINT RAPHAEL.
PRE-HISTORY
Over 100 archaeological sites have been recorded in the area of the Estérel mountains mmediately next to the town. Dolmens (funeral monuments) and several megaliths stand witness to human life in the Neolithic and Palaeolithic ages. Proud of its rich pre-hitorical heritage, Saint Raphael boasts a beautiful archaeological museum.
ROMAN OCCUPATION
Located on the Roman "Aurelian Road" the site became the privileged holiday destination for rich patricians of Forum Julii, who built beautiful villas there. The town's immense underwater heritage reveals an intense maritime activity at that era (antique wrecks and amphoras from the 5th and 6th centuries B.C.).
MIDDLE-AGES
the time of invasion by barbaric hordes and the bloody Saracen invasions. The village and its church take their name from the Archangel Raphaël, originally "Rapha El" or "remedy of God" in Hebrew.
MODERN ERA
On October 9th 1799, Bonaparte disembarked on the small harbor beach. After the fifteen glorious years that followed, the fallen emperor left for exile in Elba from the very same beach, on April 28th 1814.
At the start of the 19th century, the village still had its traditional layout, with two distinct quarters - the "Village" inhabited by farmers and the "Marine" inhabited by sea-goers. Nobody could have guessed the extraordinary turn the town would later take.
The reputation of Saint-Raphaël is owed largely to the many famous artists who came to stay here at the turn of the century. Félix Martin the ex-Mayor, also played an important role in the development of the town by building, within the space of a generation, a new town on the then-deserted Plateau de Veillat.
With the coming of the fashionable Summer Season" in the twenties, Saint-Raphaël blossomed definitively into today's prestigious and animated holiday destination.
SPENDING HOLIDAYS IN SAINT-RAPHAËL
Between the magnificient Mediterranean Sea, lapping the shores to the rythm of the waves and the luxuriant green backdrop of the Esterel hills, Saint-Raphaël offers holiday-makers a CHARMING destination.
With its 12 sites covering a vast and richly-diverse area, Saint-Raphaël is the perfect year-round holiday destination. Ideal for Water Sports, Sailing, Diving, Golfing, Nature Walks and Business Tourism, the town offers a packed events and entertainments calendar.
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SAINT RAPHAEL AND FREJUS
It is difficult to dissociate St.Raphael and Frejus completely imbricated one into another.
You don’t notice when you leave St.Raphael to enter Frejus. Especially during the summer when it’s overcrowded.
If this region is rather overshadowed by its world famous neighbours such as SAINT-TROPEZ to the east and CANNES to the west, it is by any means worth our attention.
Saint-Raphael, built in terraces (26 ,000+ Citizens) is a modern Posh family resort with a large well-maintained sand beach (La Veillat), especially fit for children,and lots of parks, restaurants.
It’s rare that in winter the temperatures go below 11 Celsius.
SAINT RAPHAEL ARCHITECTURE
Saint-Raphaël's superb 19th century architecture and villas stand witness to the town's prestigious past.
You will note four main styles :
- the "Southern" style
- the "Moorish" style
- the "Anglo-Norman" style
- the "Palladian" style
Much of Saint-Raphaël's charm is owed to these lavish villas, typified by their luxurious stairways, patios and columns.
You can also admire the beautifully decorated frontages of our many "bourgeois" residences.
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