Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer

Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer (Breton: Lokmaria-Pornizh) is a former commune in the Pays de Retz, situated in the Loire-Atlantique département and in the French région of Pays de la Loire. From 1973, it was absorbed by the neighbouring commune of Pornic and from July 1, 2007 it became a subdivision of this commune.

The commune forms a part of Brittany, in the traditional county of Retz and in the historical Pays Nantais.

The inhabitants of Sainte-Marie are known as the Sanmaritains and Sanmaritaines.

Geography[]

Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer is a market town on the Côte de Jade, with a jagged coastline strewn with coves.

History[]

At one time, during the French First Republic, Sainte-Marie was known as Roche-Peltier.

The commune of Sainte-Marie was attached to that of Pornic on June 1, 1973 (under the terms of the Marcelin law of July 16, 1971).

On May 16, 2006, the Sanmaritains voted for the complete amalgamation of the communes of Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer and Pornic with 50.83% of the vote in favour (with a difference of just 47 votes out of more than 2800 voters). In effect, from 1973, Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer possessed a status of associated commune with Pornic and removed the deputy mayor of Sainte-Marie, Jean-François Cossé who had opposed the amalgamation of the two communes.

On July 1, 2007, after the acceptance by the prefect of the amalgamation of the communes of Pornic and Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer, the latter lost its status as associated commune and became a subdivision of Pornic .

List of mayors[]

Abbé Beaudouin -1823
Bodin des Plantes 1823-
Edouard Thomas -1828
François Raffin 1828- (maire provisoire)
Edouard Thomas -1852
René Laraison 1852-1870
Michel Picot 1870-1884
François Maurice 1884-1886
Jules Galot 1886-
Guillon Constant 1886-
Souchlaud
Bézier
Rouhaud

After the amalgamation with the town of Pornic, Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer and the aforementioned Pornic came to represent a single electoral zone.

Demographics[]

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1793	1,220	—
1800	1,097	−1.51%
1806	1,119	+0.33%
1821	1,286	+0.93%
1831	1,458	+1.26%
1841	1,459	+0.01%
1846	1,414	−0.62%
1851	1,501	+1.20%
1856	1,456	−0.61%
1861	1,484	+0.38%
1866	1,517	+0.44%
1872	1,532	+0.16%
1876	1,536	+0.07%
1881	1,522	−0.18%

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1886	1,604	+1.06%
1891	1,715	+1.35%
1896	1,837	+1.38%
1901	1,850	+0.14%
1906	1,832	−0.20%
1911	1,792	−0.44%
1921	1,578	−1.26%
1926	1,652	+0.92%
1931	1,658	+0.07%
1936	1,638	−0.24%
1946	1,736	+0.58%
1954	1,869	+0.93%
1962	1,899	+0.20%
1968	2,059	+1.36%

Source: EHESS^[1]

Places and monuments[]

Sainte-Marie church
Le chateau de La Mossardière
Commonwealth war graves in Ste. Marie Communal Cemetery

People from Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer[]

Resiting of the market[]

Since the end of March, 2007 the market was moved creating a heated debate between tradesman, customers and the town hall. In the Courier of the Pays de Retz of April 5, 2007 the writer of the article spoke of a toxic atmosphere in the town.