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About

Saint-Raphaël (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ ʁafaɛl] ; Occitan: Sant Rafèu Occitan pronunciation: [ˈsan raˈfɛw]) is a commune in the Var department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, Southeastern France.

Immediately to the west of Saint-Raphaël lies a larger and older town, Fréjus; together they form an urban agglomeration known as Var Estérel Méditerranée, which also encompasses the smaller communes of Les Adrets-de-l'Estérel, Puget-sur-Argens and Roquebrune-sur-Argens. In the second half of the 19th century, the township came under the influence of Mayor Felix Martin and writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr; owing to their efforts and its beneficial climate the commune developed into a seaside resort popular with artists, sportsmen and politicians.

It is the seat of the canton of Saint-Raphaël, also encompassing Fréjus and Les Adrets-de-l'Estérel, which is the economic and cultural centre of Eastern Var, within the arrondissement of Draguignan. Its inhabitants are called Raphaëlois in French generally, or Rafelencs in Provençal Occitan.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.