Saint-Martin-de-Ré

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Saint-Martin-de-Ré
Commune
The quays
Coat of arms
show Location of Saint-Martin-de-Ré Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Saint-Martin-de-Ré Saint-Martin-de-Ré Show map of FranceShow map of Nouvelle-AquitaineShow all
Coordinates: 46°12′11″N 1°22′02″W / 46.2031°N 1.3672°W / 46.2031; -1.3672Coordinates: 46°12′11″N 1°22′02″W / 46.2031°N 1.3672°W / 46.2031; -1.3672
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Charente-Maritime
Arrondissement	La Rochelle
Canton	Île de Ré
Intercommunality	Ile-de-Ré
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Patrice Déchelette[1]
Area 1	4.70 km2 (1.81 sq mi)
Population  (Jan. 2018)[2]	2,207
• Density	470/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	17369 /17410
Elevation	0–17 m (0–56 ft) (avg. 8 m or 26 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Saint-Martin-de-Ré is a commune in the western French department of Charente-Maritime.

It is one of the ten communes located on the Île de Ré.

History[]

Fortifications[]

Ditch and fortifications in Saint-Martin-de-Ré

Saint-Martin-de-Ré has extensive fortifications, reflecting the strategic importance of the Île de Ré. During the Huguenot Rebellions of the 1620s, Cardinal Richelieu ordered that the island be fortified as a counterweight to the nearby Protestant city of La Rochelle on the French mainland. This included a citadel at Saint-Martin. After La Rochelle had been subdued, Saint-Martin's fortifications were largely demolished to remove its potential threat to royal power.

In 1627, an English invasion force under the command of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham attacked the island in order to relieve the Siege of La Rochelle. After three months of combat in the Siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré against the French under Marshal Toiras, the Duke was forced to withdraw in defeat.

Later, in the 1670s, the French engineer, Vauban was commissioned to review and overhaul the island's defences and, as a result, Saint Martin was enclosed by extensive and modern walls and embankments. This was done in three major phases ending in 1702 and the end result was an enclosed town capable of housing the island's population for a long siege.

Prison gate in Saint-Martin

Prison to the penal colonies[]

Between 1873 and 1938, the prison in Saint-Martin-de-Ré kept prisoners before they were shipped to the penal colonies in French Guiana or New Caledonia. See penal colonies on Ré Island (in French).

Population[]

The population of the commune has remained steady since 1800, although it was considerably larger during the French Revolution and dipped below 2000 from the 1920s to the 1940s.

The commune is the third-largest town on the island. With La Flotte, it forms a small urban area with 5531 inhabitants in 2008, which places it as the 11th-largest metropolitan area in Charente-Maritime and the largest on the island.

Gallery[]

• 

  Map of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, with fortress and city, 17th century, before the enlarged fortifications of Vauban.

• 

  Map of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, after the fortifications of Vauban, 1722.

• 
• 

  City gate in Saint-Martin

• 

  Âne en culotte donkey

Personalities[]

• Nicolas Baudin, sailor and explorer

See also[]

• Ernest Cognac Museum
• Communes of the Charente-Maritime department

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saint-Martin-de-Ré.

• Saint-Martin-de-Ré Tourism Office
• Île de Ré and Ernest Cognacq museums
• Vauban fortifications
• Fortified-places.com