SANARY "yesterday"

The beginning of what was to become first a hamlet and later a market town, is dated back to the XIVth century. It can be seen by changes that take place in the description of the villages that are first called dwellings, hamlets, then market towns - an increase in the number of houses, therefore of population. Later on, we will see this phenomenon gain momentum, in particular in 1507. That same year, lord Bertrand de Ventimille and his first cousin, Guiran de Simiane, both of the lords were land owners; give land to sixteen new families thus increasing the number of inhabitants. Some of these newcomers would be allowed to build on the boulevard of the tower, inside the moats. A year before, they also granted to Chautard d’Ollioules the land situated in Mortier and below the road that led to the Gorguette.

The harbour, after witnessing the construction of the first quay, added to the jetty close to the tower, gains importance. It becomes busier but its lack of depth, and the silting up by the river Reppe, would always be detrimental to it. A large part of the population lives off of the sea: fishermen, sailed to the Levant and, over time, even farther, towards the Americas and Newfoundland.

Alas, it was difficult for Saint-Nazaire to develop as long as it was tied to Ollioules. As commerce developed, a bourgeoisie of merchants was born, and the more enterprising individuals started to emerge. The population had the certainty to be able to govern itself. Ollioules would be forced to admit the representatives of Saint-Nazaire that would sit on the Community Council. The representatives of Bernard, Infernet, and Saint-Maurice, would put their greatest efforts into petitions, lawsuits, and interventions with both the Parliament of the Provence, in Aix, as well as with the French court. They all wished to obtain their autonomy, so much so that in different other communes, similar events would take place and thus give them hope.

It is Seyne that, in 1657, gains the permission to separate from Six-Fours. Ciotat, in 1675, separates from Ceyreste. All of the inland market towns, seeing their dependency on the sea banks, become more certain, are going to separate from their common mother. It could not have been otherwise for Ollioules and Saint-Nazaire.

Ollioules would be sued several times over the separation: In 1649, 1673, and 1678. 
They were almost always a waste of time and very often accompanied by threats of suppression. However, Ollioules, which begins to understand the necessity to make some concessions, would obtain numerous advantages. This is how it obtained a fountain, butchery, public herds and many other improvements, like a Lieutenant judge of Ollioules. But there was nothing to be done and we sense the bitterness of Ollioules, which despite its efforts to show understanding feels Saint-Nazaire slip away. It has a premonition that its economic life would be disrupted by it, especially by the loss of the harbour. After all, all of the exports and the imports passed through the harbour. This had already happened before, in 1225, in a disagreement with Toulon over Lagoubran. Later on too, in 1296, Evenos separated from Ollioules.

1923 : SANARY-SUR-MER

On July 27, 1923, Sanary becomes Sanary-sur-mer.

The development of motor vehicle transports would allow people to go and work at the naval shipyard in Toulon, in Seyne and Ciotat. There is no single important industry in the land. Tourism however, starting from 1936, would develop, especially in the summer, with the new popularity of sea bathing. Once again, the 1939-1945 war would interrupt this evolution.

Numerous foreigners, Germans, Austrians, Spaniards, would seek refuge with us, escaping their countries' regimes. In 1942, German and Italian troupes would take what was left of the unoccupied France. These troupes were set about transforming the coast into a fortified cubby-hole. For this reason, more than 150 houses were destroyed using explosives. Only the Liberation was able to stop this devastation of our town. 

Blockhouses blocked the streets, the harbour was off limits, and the population sought refuge in the countryside or in other less exposed departments.

With peace, tourist activity resumes…since the town has managed to shelter itself from anarchic construction and its seacoast preserves the look of the Provence in the old days.

By Barthélémy Rotger of the Var Academy

Sanary nowadays