The oldest known mention of SainteMarie la mer goes back to the end of the XIIth century.
According to a rather frequent custom our village whose name was Santa Maria de Pabirans took the name of the XIIth century and was named Sainte Marie la Mer.
A family of Santa Maria had been in possession of the Seignory since the XIth century, but, at end of XIIth, this Seigniory was given to Raymond de Canet who was permitted by Pierre II to fortify the village.
Along the following centuries Sainte Marie will be kept in the tenure of the Lords of Canet and incorporated in the Viscouncy in 1322
From
the years fifty onwards the village wil extend on the sea-side and in
a few decades, we can see the birth and development of a sea-side resort
able to receive 18000 people.
SAINTE-MARIE TODAY
To day, Sainte Marie offers the charm and quietness of a country village
gathered around its church of the XIIth century with a wonderful Roman
chevet, while the built up area along the beach brings the modern view
of a sea resort in full expansion.
One of the priorities of the local council is the embellishing of the
village to make life pleasant.
This aim is attained by creating green areas, improving the roadt traffic
and building a harmonious town planning.
Sainte Marie la Mer is a sea resort where it is pleasant to live in family
or to meet friends far from the anonymous crowd.
