Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Saintes-Maries-de-la- Mer and Les Saintes-Maries-de-la- Mer is a French commune located in the department of the Rhone delta in the region Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. Capital of the Camargue, it is also a place of pilgrimage and a seaside resort in Provence. Built around its church of the xi th and xii th centuries long and enclosed in a chamber, the town still retains traces of this history happened today in the configuration of its often narrow streets. Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer is famous for the annual Fête des Gitans in honor of Black Sarah.

Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is a legendary site, its shore welcomed, at the dawn of Christianity. According to legend, it was in Saintes-Maries that the rudderless boat occupied by Marie-Jacobe, sister of the Virgin Mary, and Marie-Salome, the mother of John the Baptist, washed up after their flight from the Holy Land. The two saints were accompanied by Sarah, her servant.

The village offers the visitor the image of its haughty and protective church and promises a visit rich in emotions in an ever new light. In the shade of its Romanesque bell tower, visitors stroll through the cobbled streets, in the footsteps of pilgrims. From the roof of the church, his gaze on the lookout, nose and hair in the wind, he lets himself be won over by the emotion of the great outdoors, future scenes of discoveries and warm encounters with the men and women rulers who walk through riding on the pastures of bulls promised a glorious future.

From the village, his steps guide him towards the dunes, the fine sandy beaches, the vast expanses of reeds and the herds. Lovers of nature and wide open spaces, he enjoys the joys of hiking and horseback riding, admires the ballet of birds, gives in to the intoxication of navigation and sliding in high winds.

Geography
The town is located in the south of France, on the Mediterranean coast, in the Camargue, about one kilometer east of the mouth of the Petit-Rhône, where it extends over both banks, and 30 kilometers as the crow flies south-west of Arles.

History
The first mention explicitly the village that is known date of the iv th century. She comes to us from poet and geographer Avienus that the iv th century, noting several tribes in the region, cites oppidum priscum Ra, the great historian of Gaul Camille Jullian place at the site of the current town. Oppidum meaning ancient fortress and priscum, it would therefore be “the ancient fortress Ra”. Aviennus saw in it the Egyptian name of an island dedicated to Ra, the sun god and father of all gods. But, this oppidum priscumprobably translates the oldest Gallic word rātis “fortress”.

Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is famous as a place of pilgrimage and above all as a place of pilgrimage for the gypsies (Gitanes) to their patron saint of Black Sarah. But the history of the place starts earlier. Stes Marie was first mentioned in a document in the 4th century as Sancta Maria de la Ratis. The area was inherited by a monastery by Césaire of Arles and the place became Saintes Marie de la Barque, other sources report the name Notre Dame de la Barque. In the 8th century, more precisely in the years 859 and 860, the Vikings used the place as a gateway to Arles and further to Valence. Just 10 years later, Stes Marie was the Saracen gate for the looting of Arles.

After the discovery of relics of Saints Maria-Jacobé and Maria-Salomé, whose rudderless barque had been washed ashore according to the legend in the Camargue, the place became a place of intensive devotion to Mary after 1448.

The cross of the Camargue symbolizes the lived faith with the cross, hope with the anchor and charity with the heart, the trident at the top as a tool of the Gardians, it was designed by the artist / sculptor Hermann Paul in 1924 at the suggestion of the Marquis de Baroncelli, the first Camargue cross forged in 1930 stands on the Pont du Maure.

Middle Ages
In 513, Pope Symmaque gave Césaire the right to wear the pallium and made him his representative in Gaul. At that time, the Bishop of Arles evangelized the countryside still strongly imbued with pagan or Roman cults, transforming, if necessary, old places of worship into Christian buildings. He thus created a monastery or a church in Les Saintes, which was an argument in favor of the presence of an older pagan temple in these places. We do not have the exact date of the birth of this new name, but we know that Saint Césaire d’Arles bequeathed by will, on his death in 542, Sancta Maria de Ratis to his monastery. The village therefore became Saintes Maries de la Barque (or Saintes Maries de Ratis), also sometimes called Notre-Dame de la Barque (or Notre-Dame de Ratis).

In the winter of 859 – 860, remained as the hardest of the ix th century the Vikings winter in Camargue and in all likelihood, the Saintes, before beginning their foray in the lower Rhone Valley to Valencia where they are arrested by Girart de Roussillon. In September 869, the Saracens surprised during a raid in Camargue, the bishop of Arles Rotland supervising the defense of the region. The bishop, taken prisoner, is exchanged for weapons, slaves, and other riches. Unfortunately, the Arlésiens only recover his corpse, dressed and placed on a seat by the Saracens at the time of the ransom ceremony which is probably held on the beach of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, at the mouth of the Rhône. de Saint-Ferréol, an arm still active at that time.

The church as it stands today dates from the xi th and xii th centuries, the last two spans have however been redone in part (upper walls and roof) in the middle of the 18th century. The bell tower has undergone many repairs, the current state dating from 1901. That’s about the xii th century that the name will change to Notre-Dame-de-la-Mer.

In 1448, under the leadership of King René, the relics of the holy Maries Jacobé and Salomé were invented. The Archbishop of Arles, Louis Aleman does not attend this event, because he has been excommunicated since 1440 following the Council of Basel; in his absence, the papal authority is represented by his legate, Pierre de Foix, the Archbishop of Aix Robert Damiani and the Bishop of Marseille Nicolas de Brancas. Reports from the period point to an early church within the present nave. For some, this building could match a chapel Merovingian the vi th century.

Modern times
The plague of 1720, which killed half of the population of Marseille and a third of that of Arles, spared, unlike that of 1348, the community of Saintes, which vehemently opposed the reception of refugees from Arles. During the Revolution, worship was suspended between 1794 and 1797. The battlements of the church are demolished and their stones sold; they will be renovated in 1873.

In 1838, the village took the name of “Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer” and, shortly after, the pilgrimage of the Gypsies was mentioned for the first time: in May, they came from all over Europe to honor here. their patron saint, Sara, the Black Madonna. At the beginning of June 1888, Vincent van Gogh, who had just arrived in Provence, made a short five-day stay in Les Saintes. He draws and paints there in particular the boats on the beach, the village seen from the coastal dunes and some huts covered with sagne.

Shortly after, in August 1892, the Arles – les Saintes line, of the Camargue railway company, called the “little train” was inaugurated. The line, which had become unprofitable following the development of the automobile, closed in October 1953. In 1899, the Marquis de Baroncelli moved to Les Saintes on the small road to the Savage, to the farmhouse of Amarée; he worked with others to reconquer the pure Camargue breed, just as he actively participated in the codification of the nascent Camargue race. In July 1909, he created the Nacioun Gardiano (Gardian Nation), which aims to defend and maintain the Camargue traditions.

From the end of 19th century, especially after the First World War, the village is visited by artists and writers: Ivan Pranishnikoff in 1899, Hemingway in 1920, and later those of the painters Picasso and Brayer in years 1950.

Many films have been shot there, such as Crin-Blanc in 1952 and Where do you come from Johnny?, in 1963. Likewise, the opening sequence of the film, Le Professionnel, (1981) set in Africa was filmed on the territory of the Grand Raft in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. In 1975, Bob Dylan spent a few days in the city during the pilgrimage in May. In 1948, M Roncalli, Apostolic Nuncio in France and later Pope John XXIII, famous Saintes the five hundredth anniversary of the invention of the relics.

Since 1960, the city has lived mainly from tourism, the development of which from the 1980s is intended to be better controlled. However, this evolution marked by a demographic increase, from 1,687 inhabitants in 1946 to approximately 2,500 in 2005, brings about profound changes:

at the socio-professional level, with the disappearance of fishermen and farmers for the benefit of traders and retirees, the latter often foreign to the region,
in terms of town planning, with the digging of a port and the creation of numerous subdivisions comprising a large percentage of second homes and rental dwellings.

These changes are found in particular at the political level with the shift to the right of a town hall long held by left-wing parties.

The village

The Saintes Maries de la Mer
The village of Saintes Maries de la Mer, a land of welcome, tradition and pilgrimage, is built between sky and sea, where the Rhône embraces the Mediterranean. A legendary site, its shore welcomed, at the dawn of Christianity, Marie Jacobé, Marie Salomé and their servant Sara, persecuted Christians fleeing Palestine on a rudderless boat. The village offers the visitor the image of its haughty and protective church and promises a visit rich in emotions in an ever new light.

In the shade of its Romanesque bell tower, visitors stroll through the cobbled streets, in the footsteps of pilgrims. From the roof of the church, his gaze on the lookout, nose and hair in the wind, he lets himself be won over by the emotion of the great outdoors, future scenes of discoveries and warm encounters with the men and women rulers who walk through riding on the pastures of bulls promised a glorious future. From the village, his steps guide him towards the dunes, the fine sandy beaches, the vast expanses of reeds and the herds. Lovers of nature and wide open spaces, he enjoys the joys of hiking and horseback riding, admires the ballet of birds, gives in to the intoxication of navigation and sliding in high winds. The Saintes Maries de la Mer establish itself as a capital for those whothe Camargue, bewitched by its wild beauty, its culture and its living and authentic traditions.

The Church
Built near the mouth of the Petit-Rhône, the Church of Saintes Maries de la Mer had an important strategic position. Because at the time of its construction, in the ninth and twelfth centuries, pirates raged on the coast and it was necessary to defend against invasions. The church dominates the village and is visible 10 km from the interior. It is a real fortress, formed by a single, straight nave, without ornament and 15 meters high. The roof is surrounded by a walkway, with battlements and machicolations and served as a watchtower.

The choir and the apse are surmounted by a semi-circular dungeon which contains the old room of the guardhouse called the “upper chapel”. The walls of the church are pierced with loopholes. It served as a refuge for the population and there is even a freshwater well. Today, the statue of Sara, an essential element of the heritage of the gypsies, is placed in the crypt, to the right of the altar. Note also, in the church a pagan altar of the 4th century BC The massive stone vessel stands out against the flat expanses of Camargue… Lighthouse, sign of the Faith, place of life of the Saints, setting of their Relics, call to the pilgrim…

The sanctuary, dedicated to the Virgin Mary invoked here under the name of Our Lady of the Sea, was built around a primitive church of which Saint Césaire d’Arles, in his will of 543, entrusted the management to the monastery which he founded in Arles with his sister Césarie. This small church was itself built around a well of fresh water still visible in the sanctuary and near which, it was thought, the Saints were buried.

The most contemporary historians locate the construction of the fortified church during the second half of the 12th century, while others date the nave from the 11th century and the part corresponding to the choir from the 9th century. Due to the repeated incursions of looters from the sea, it was necessary to offer a refuge to the inhabitants and to protect the place where the Saintes rested. In the 14th century, the fortifications of the upper part were raised, endowing the building with the means of defense of a fortified castle: rampart walk, machicolation, dungeon in the heart of which is a room. This room may have been the guard room. It becomes a high chapel dedicated to Saint Michael. Everything is done to resist the attackers: the roof is covered with stone slabs, the openings are rare and small.

In August 1448, after the discovery of the bodies of the Saintes, King René of Anjou had the current crypt built, the original church which had been preserved was destroyed, the shrine containing the relics was erected in the upper chapel. It is accessed by the roof terrace by taking spiral staircases built into the thickness of the walls. The sanctuary of Our Lady of the Sea is the place of great pilgrimages in May, October and December, but not only. The pilgrims are also present on a daily basis, in groups, in family, alone, come to confide their joys and their sorrows… The person who enters the sanctuary is welcomed. Welcomed by the depth of two thousand years of prayer, welcomed by Our Lady of the Sea, welcomed by the Saints… Let’s look up! Up there, in the setting of a large window, the Shells which keep the precious Relics… Other stairs lead down under the choir, into the crypt where Saint Sara is venerated.

The Old Town Hall
The Baroncelli Museum, now closed, was housed in the old Town Hall, also a court of justice and peace, built in 1876 by the Arles architect Véran. It succeeds the first town hall built in 1655, of which only the marble medallions with the coats of arms of France and Navarre remain on the one hand, the holy Maries of the sea, on the other hand, sculpted by the Lyon artist Pierre Sibrent, in the 17th century. Above the main entrance, 3 colors: Baroncelli (red and white), the flag of Provence (red and yellow) and that of the Maison d’Anjou (blue with fleur de Lys and label). A little higher on the front is an original circular sundial.

This museum was a tribute to the Marquis Folco de Baroncelli-Javon (1869-1943), an emblematic character of the Camargue. Lou Marquès, director of the Félibréen newspaper “l’Aïoli” in Avignon, was an ardent defender of the customs of the ecological, traditional and cultural heritage of the Camargue. He led the life of a gardian and campaigned for tolerance. It is to him that we owe the recognition of the gypsy pilgrimage by the ecclesiastical authorities.

Gardian’s Huts
Home of herdsmen, fishermen and shepherds, the hut can be recognized by its geometric volume, juxtaposition of a parallelepiped, a cylinder, a cone and a prism. The traditional architecture of this cabin is the result of simplicity and ingenuity. Its apse turns its back to the mistral.

This house with low whitewashed walls has a large roof crossed by a rafter, the end of which is sometimes surmounted by a bull’s horn or a transverse piece of wood to form a cross. This rafter, placed opposite the apse of the cabin, keeps lightning away and is used to tie the rope that ties it to the ground, on days with high winds. Formerly, the walls of the huts were built with materials from the marshes: clay and reeds. Today, other materials are used… but its architecture is still appreciated for the pleasure of keeping tradition alive or quite simply for its adaptation to climatic conditions.

Van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh had been in Arles for two months when he decided to go to Saintes Maries de la Mer. After the pink and white of the blossoming orchards, he wanted to appreciate the effect of a “blue sea under a blue sky” and finally see this Mediterranean that he only knows through painters.

Well received in the village, he spent a very pleasant week where he painted two seascapes, a view of the village and made nine drawings. He wrote to his brother: “I would like you to spend some time here, you would feel the thing. After a while, the sight changes, we see with a more Japanese eye, we feel the color differently.”

On his return to Arles, he produced six of his best drawings, based on the works made in Les Saintes, three brilliantly colored paintings and a watercolor where, to the delicacy of the Impressionists, he no longer feared to contrast strongly the complementary ones, ‘strongly oppose or even exaggerate the most intense colors. Far from being trivial, this stay at Saintes-Maries de la Mer represents a decisive stage in his work, announcing the famous sunflowers, wheat fields, portraits, starry nights…

Historical heritage
The fortified church of the xi th and xii th centuries to protect the relics of saints (but also Saintois) in case of incursion of the Saracens: the upper chapel forms a real dungeon, surrounded at the base of a path round and surmounted by a crenellated platform.
The pilgrimages of May 24 – 25 and at the end of October (Saints Marie Jacobé and Salomé); that of May 24 is also celebrated for the patron saint of the Gypsies, the “ black Virgin ” Saint Sarah.
The first two pilgrimages are historically very old and evoke a Christian tradition, that of the landing of the first Christians on the shore of the Camargue. One of the Gypsies, more recent, is not mentioned before the middle of the 20th century.
The museum and the house of the Marquis de Baroncelli: located in the old town hall, the museum presents documents collected by the Marquis Folco de Baroncelli-Javon: traditional Camargue way of life, history of the town, dioramas presenting Camargue fauna (including a heron), the Provencal furniture 18th century, showcases devoted to Van Gogh, the Marquis and his friends as the Russian painter Ivan Pranishnikoff.
The castle of Avignon and its domain.
The arenas of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer built in the early 1930s. The town is a member of the Union of French Bullfighting Cities. In a region where bullfighting is deeply rooted since the 16th century and even some researchers from the xii th century, the arenas of Saintes-Maries-de-la- Mer part of senior French bullfighting venues. They offer three forms of bull racing: the Camargue race, the Corrida, and the corrida de rejón. The 2013 program is available for consultation.
La Croix and Mas de Méjanes, better known under the name Paul Ricard estate, on the banks of the Vaccarès lake.
The sculpture of Ben K, baptized “Camargue”, erected in the center of the village, on the occasion of the transition to the new millennium, is inaugurated by the mayor Roland Chassain, the 1 st January 2001.
The town hall, built in the 1930s and decorated by the painter Marcel Dyf.
Markets: every Monday and Friday on the town hall square.
The presence near the village of a body of water specially designed for speed record attempts in windsurfing.

Religious heritage
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, an ancient town in the marshes of the Camargue, where the Rhône River meets the Mediterranean Sea, is named for two Marys — in French, Ste. Marie Jacobé and Ste. Marie Salomé — who are closely linked to Jesus in the gospels. The designation “de-la-mer” (of the sea) derives from a medieval tradition that after Jesus’ death the two Marys traveled across the sea by boat and lived in the Camargue the rest of their lives, helping to bring Christianity to France.

The three saints Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome and Mary of Clopas are believed to be the women who were the first witnesses to the empty tomb at the resurrection of Jesus. After the Crucifixion of Jesus, the Marys were said to set sail from Alexandria, Egypt with their uncle Joseph of Arimathea. According to a longstanding French legend, they either sailed to or were cast adrift – arriving off the coast of what is now France, at “a sort of fortress named Oppidum-Râ”. The location became known as Nôtre-Dame-de-Ratis (Our Lady of the Boat – Râ being used in ratis, or boat) (Droit, 1963, 19). The name was later changed to Notre-Dame-de-la-Mer. In 1838, it was changed to Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.

Today, aside from being a working class summer beach destination with a picturesque Romanesque fortress-church, Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is known in France for the celebrations it holds for each Mary’s feast, in May and October. The feast days in May draw large numbers of Gypsy Catholics and others from France and beyond — typically 25,000-40,000 people all together — to the town for a week. The high points at that feast include a ritual when a painted reliquary chest, said to contain the bones of the Saintes Maries, is ceremoniously lowered from its high perch to the altar for veneration, and when the crypt is left open so that the statue of another figure, the Gypsies’ own Ste. Sara, can be honored. On successive days, Gypsies and a large crowd process statues of Sara and the Saintes Maries from the church to the beach, carrying them right into the sea.

The town is also a pilgrimage destination for Roma (Gypsies), who gather yearly for a religious festival in honor of Saint Sarah. Dark-skinned Saint Sara is said to have possibly been the Egyptian servant of the three Marys. In another version, Sara was a local woman who welcomed the three Marys on their arrival. A statue of Ste. Sarah is in the crypt of the church, which also encloses a 4th-century BC taurobolic altar once dedicated to the cult of the Indo-Iranian god Mithra, although a likely Celtic origin is claimed.

Pilgrimages

The Pilgrimage of the Gypsies
Roma, Manouches, Gypsies and Gypsies arrive from all over Europe and even from other continents to venerate their Saint, Sara the Black. They settle in the streets, in squares, by the sea. For eight to ten days, they are at home here. The pilgrimage is also the occasion of reunion and most of the children are baptized in the church of Saintes.

Following the descent of the reliquaries on May 24, the statue of Sara is carried by the gypsies to the sea to symbolize the expectation and reception of the Saintes Maries by Sara, patron saint of the gypsies. The procession then returns to the church in the joy of cheers, musical instruments and the chime of church bells. The statue of Sara is in the crypt of the church, to the right of the altar, dressed in multicolored dresses and jewels.

The Pilgrimage of the Saintes
Since the 12th century, Saintes Maries has been a place of pilgrimage. The relics of the Saintes discovered in 1448 during excavations ordered by King René are particularly venerated during two pilgrimages.

The most famous one takes place on May 24 and 25 of each year with the participation of the gypsies. The day of the 25th is dedicated to the Saintes of the village, Marie Jacobé and Marie Salomé, led in procession to the sea. Carried by the gypsies, surrounded by the crowd of faithful, Arlesian women and herdsmen in traditional costume and pilgrims from all over the world, they are blessed by the Bishop. During these two days, services and prayers follow one another in the church. The second pilgrimage takes place on the Sunday closest to October 22. Pilgrimage of the locals, it becomes more and more frequented. On Saturday evening, the Evocation of the Arrival of Les Saintes, a free sound and light event on the beach, attracts crowds of faithful and spectators from the region.

The Brotherhood of Saintes Maries
The Confrérie des Saintes was born in 1315 with the approval of the Archbishop of Arles, Gaillard de Falguières and officially recognized on the charter n ° 38 dated November 29, 1338 with the aim of honoring the Saintes Maries and under their protection.

The goals of the Brotherhood were specified by President Henri VICENTE in front of M Dufour, Archbishop of Aix and Arles, during his pastoral visit in October 2011:

The December Pilgrimage
Organized the first weekend of December, this pilgrimage commemorates the Translation of the Relics.

Saturday: Descent of the Shrine Ceremony in the afternoon, followed at 9 p.m. by a torchlight procession; the Barque des Saintes is then carried in procession by the members of the Brotherhood followed by the faithful. The procession forms at the foot of the Jerusalem Cross near the bullring and goes through the small streets of the village to the Church of Our Lady of the Sea. Sunday: Solemn Mass followed in the afternoon by the Remontée des Châsses ceremony.

Events and festivities
Each May 24, more than 10,000 Travelers (Yenish, Roma, Manouches, Gypsies, Sintis…) flock from all over Europe to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer to venerate their holy Sara the black or Sara-la- Kali, and baptize their children according to the Catholic ritual.

In June, the village hosts a Votive Festival, during which the young people and the “festaïres” of the village animate the streets and squares, dressed in the colors of the Festival, competing with the bulls during abrivado, bandido and improvised bull races.

Around July 14th, the village organizes for three days a Feria du Cheval, which presents shows inspired by the pillars of the Camargue identity that are the Horse, the Bull and the gypsy music.

The November 11th, the Abrivado Festival brings together more than 200 herdsmen and 1000 horses from all over Provence on the beaches of Saintes Maries, exceptionally open to riders and their mounts on that day.

During the end of the year celebrations between Christmas and New Year’s Day, the village presents a program of entertainment witnesses of the Camargue tradition. Thus, one can attend a Abrivado aux Flambeaux (release of bulls led by herdsmen carrying torches), which visitors can admire at dusk.

Every year the Festo Vierginenco is also held, which is the ceremony, for girls aged 16, of passing from the status of teenager to that of young woman.

Horse Fair
For more than 20 years, around July 14, the Saintes Maries has become the meeting place for the Equestrian Arts. For three days, the Horse is then the undisputed king of the Festival. The unifying concept of this Feria draws its source from the very identity of the town of Saintes Maries and the Camargue. The Horse, the Bull and the Gypsy Music are the pillars and deeply inspire the programming of the shows presented.

Presentation of horses, Parades, Equestrian Book and Film Fair, Noche flamenca, enliven the streets and sites of the village. In the arenas follow one another Corrida de Rejon on horseback and Equestrian shows with the most prestigious artists on horseback. ” Dream of a night in the Camargue ” has become in recent years a flagship element of the July Feria, by presenting in the natural environment of the Cacharel road a free sound and light show featuring hundreds of extras around a Camargue legend.

Camargue Plural
It is around August 15 that the Saintes Maries de la Mer becomes the meeting point for various cultures: Spain and Portugal are the hosts of the Camargue for 3 days. Great Camargue race, Corrida Flamenca with the stars of bullfighting on foot exercising their art to the sounds of music and gypsy voices and equestrian show follow one another in the arenas while the Place des Gitans sees the installation of a “Terroir de Camargue” space touting local producers and artisans.

The village then resonates with the sounds of guitars, violins and double basses which exude a gypsy jazz rhythm that perfectly matches the diversity of cultures present in the village.

The Votive Festival
As in most villages in these areas of strong traditions that are Provence and Languedoc, the village of Saintes Maries de la Mer has its Votive Festival. Usually organized around the third weekend of June, it takes place over 6 days, each offering a different theme.

The young people and the “festaïres” of the village then enliven the streets and squares, dressed in the colors of the Festival, they compete against the bulls during abrivado, bandido and improvised bull races. The village is transformed into a vast playground around a fun fair, penas and folk groups bring a musical note to the crazy atmosphere that invades the streets. Much awaited by the people of Camargue, the Fête Votive gives holidaymakers the opportunity to discover local traditions by sharing a good mood and a communicative festive atmosphere.

Abrivado Festival
This Festival is a unique encounter, to the glory of horses and bouvine enthusiasts. Each year, for November 11, the Abrivado Festival brings together more than 200 herdsmen and 1000 horses from all over Provence to participate in this Festival on the beaches of Saintes Maries, exceptionally open to riders and their mounts that day. The public, won over by the pounding of the horses’ hooves, can admire this mad race in complete safety and share the thrills of this traditional equestrian parade which allows the bulls to trot to the arenas.

The jubilation of the festival begins around a breakfast offered on the beach, then at 11 am, the departure of the riders and the bulls is ringing. The abrivado column follows the traditional route from the eastern beach to the Saintes Maries arenas, over a distance of 6 km. Eleven abrivados follow one another and are linked. They put the know-how of herdsmen to the test to contain the bulls that are always ready to escape. A fusion of the pleasure of riding and the traditions of the Camargue, this annual equestrian event at Saintes Maries is a reflection of the ardor of Camargue customs and the love we have for horses here.

Natural heritage

The Camargue
Many territories like to say that they are in the Camargue. This is what the CAMARGUE idea makes you dream. What does this idea evoke: desert areas of water and silty and sandy soil, bull and horse breeding, migration lands of a multitude of bird species, a virgin coastline of all kinds? urbanization, inhabitants proud to live their culture of Bouvine and their traditions immortalized by Lou Marquès, the Marquis de Baroncelli.

Geographically it is limited to the north by the city of Arles, to the south by the sea and the picturesque village of Saintes Maries de la Mer which is its capital, to the west and east by the two arms of the Rhône. On the cultural level, it is possible to add the villages of Vauvert and Cailar as well as the large town that is Aigues Mortes despite being outside the arms of the Rhône.

We can see that as soon as you see “ring roads”, “red lights”, shopping centers, “marinas”, high buildings and even power or telephone lines you can no longer be in Camargue. If your car is a little dusty, if you see a few mosquitoes, if to discover the spaces you have to give up your car and go on foot, on horseback, in a horse-drawn carriage or by mountain bike, you are in Camargue. If in the middle of August you can find an almost deserted beach, then you are in Camargue.

Wildlife
The Camargue offers many species a territory where they can roam freely in immense protected areas; the horse, the bull and the flamingo are the most emblematic. The breeding of the Camargue horse, recognized in 1978 by the national stud farms, is like that of the bull an extensive breeding, in herds and in semi-freedom. The horse, brown in color at birth, acquires its “white horsehair” coat around the age of 5; it is the gardian’s essential instrument for his work in the herd. The bullwith a dark brown coat has been present in the Camargue since ancient times, it is bred for the Camargue race and its original breeding conditions have allowed it to benefit from the AOC

Other species of mammals live in the delta but have a nightlife, such as nutria, wild boar, fox or, more rarely, beaver. But birds are without doubt the easiest animals to observe in the Camargue. Sedentary or migratory, they are very numerous and varied. The most representative species is the flamingo which has made the delta its only breeding ground in Europe.

The Flora
The Camargue landscape is marked by the double influence of water and salt; irrigation water softens the northern delta while seawater introduced for salt production further increases soil salinity in the south. Several environments are represented: dunes, ponds and marshes, sansouires, lawns, meadows, riparian forest. Wetlands represent 84% of natural environments, the aquatic vegetation is very rich in the Camargue with a wide variety of reeds (including the sagne used for making the roofs of gardians’ huts), in the middle of which bloom in spring the yellow irises and the buttercups water.

Grazing byHerds of bulls and horses from the lawns promotes the installation of saladelle carpets while several species of samphire (enganes) cover the salty and monotonous soil of the sansouire, emblematic landscape of the Camargue. One of the rare trees capable of withstanding salinity is the tamarisk, it is found throughout the plain in the form of groves. The rare afforestation is limited to the strip of riparian forest of the arms of the Rhône (riparian forest) and consists mainly of white poplars, ash and elm.

Horse Rides
There are many possibilities to ride in Camargu e, it is true that the horse is the best way to penetrate this unique nature in his heart. Stocky, rustic, used to walking in the salty waters of ponds, white to fight against the hot summer sun, he will know how to best help you discover his country.

This small swift horse will walk you at its own pace to make you appreciate the natural environment as well as possible: at walking pace to respect the tranquility of flamingos, herons, ducks and all the species of birds present in the Camargue but also that of bulls, and a much faster pace, a hectic gallop, to skirt the beaches. A horse enthusiast but also his region and its traditions will accompany you for an hour’s walk or a 5-day hike.

Hikes
Alluvial plain where land and water are constantly mixed, the Camargue is a flat land of 85,000 ha; the height differences do not exceed 10m. It is a secret territory, which must be explored on foot, by bike, on horseback, with a pair of binoculars. Quiet, hikers are privileged in the observation of birds. The trails run along the roubines and dikes, built since the 17th century to regulate floods. No difficulty for hikers, who will however take care to protect themselves from mosquitoes. We must also be careful not to enter protected areas and not to threaten this exceptional and fragile biotope.

Hikers can interrupt their routes with educational breaks, in one of the fifteen sites designed to provide a better understanding of the Camargue: equipped observatories, interpretive trails, permanent exhibitions, etc.

The Beaches
The coast of the Camargue delta offers a cordon of fine sand of about sixty kilometers bordering the Gulf of Beauduc. Most of the coastline is a victim of erosion and is protected by the installation of groynes at village level. This division provides holidaymakers with small family beaches, accessible on foot, with showers, 3 of which are supervised during the season. Located by the sea, the two campsites also have access to these maintained beaches.

It is by taking the direction of the beaches of the East that these immense beaches bordered by dunes open up to lovers of wide open spaces. Accessible by car on 3 km of track, they are a paradise for walkers and bicycle enthusiasts who can reach by the sea wall areas little frequented by man where nature reigns supreme. Along the dunes, horseback riding has the opportunity here to embark on great “galloping” on the beach.

The east and west exits of the village have “private beaches”, these areas provide holidaymakers with a comfort zone with mattresses, umbrellas, drinks and catering. Rather calm, the Mediterranean is ideal for family swimming and swimming, the wind also allows lovers of board sports, windsurfers and kite surfers, to practice their sport in an exceptional environment. But the coarser seas of autumn and winter then become the kingdom of surfers and paddle board enthusiasts.

The Gardian Port
The marina of Saintes-Maires de la Mer, Port Gardian, welcomes boaters coasting in the Mediterranean and offers. In the port of Saintes Maries, boaters enjoy their leisure activities on a human scale, in a friendly atmosphere where everyone lives and shares their passions.

Nautical Activities
With its port and tens of kilometers of beaches, the village of Saintes-Maries de la Mer is perfectly suited for nautical activities. The Paddle, the Windsurf, the Sea Kayaking and surfing Kite are the most these disciplines on the Camargue coast.

On the port various nautical activities are proposed to you including the presence of towed vehicles which are the joy of summer visitors.