Sète (; oc, Seta, ), also historically spelt ''Cette'' (official until 1928) and ''Sette'', is a commune in the

Hérault Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.department, in the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

Occitania Occitania ( oc, Occitània , , or ) is the historical region in Western and Southern Europe where the Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes still used as a second language. This cultural area roughly encompasse ...

, southern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Sétois'' (male) and ''Sétoises'' (female) in French, "Setòris" and "Setòria" in Occitan. Known as the ''Venice of Languedoc'' and the ''singular island'' (in Paul Valéry's words), it is a port and a seaside resort on the Mediterranean with its own very strong cultural identity, traditions, cuisine and dialect. It is the hometown of such artists as Paul Valéry,

Jean Vilar Jean Vilar (25 March 1912– 28 May 1971) was a French actor and theatre director. Vilar trained under actor and theatre director Charles Dullin, then toured with an acting company throughout France. His directorial career began in 1943 in a sma ...

, Georges Brassens,

Hervé Di Rosa Hervé Di Rosa (born 1959 in Sète, Hérault) is a French painter. Born in Sète, France, Hervé Di Rosa is a French painter who brings to life unique characters who populate his work in the form of paintings, sculptures, installations and animati ...

, Manitas de Plata, and Robert Combas. Since 2001, François Commeinhes is the mayor of the city.

Geography

Built upon and around Mont St Clair, Sète is situated on the south-eastern end of the Étang de Thau, an enclosed salt water lake used primarily for

oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not ...

and mussel fields. To its other side lies the Mediterranean, and the town has a network of canals which are links between the Étang de Thau and the Mediterranean Sea.

Climate

Sète has a

mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''Csa''). The average annual temperature in Sète is . The average annual rainfall is with October as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Sète was on 12 August 1923; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 10 February 1956.

History

The name first appeared in

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

(Geography II.10.2.): Σήτιον ὄρος, later in Avienius' (Ora Maritima): Setius... mons and on the maps of Aniane: fiscum..qui nuncupatur Sita During the 11th century

Catharism Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France. F ...

appeared in the

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...

region.

1600–1900

On 29 July 1666, the first stone was officially set on the Saint-Louis pier. In 1681 the Canal du Midi was completed. In 1684, Vauban visited the port. In 1703, Saint-Louis church was consecrated. From 24 to 26 July 1710, during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

the British attacked Sète, soon fought back by the

Adrien Maurice de Noailles Adrien is a given name and surname, and the French spelling for the name Adrian. It is also the masculine form of the feminine name Adrienne. It may refer to: People Given name * Adrien Auzout (1622–1691), French astronomer * Adrien Baillet ...

Duke of Noailles. In 1710–1711, Saint-Pierre and Butte-Ronde forts were built. In 1724, the townhouse was bought. In 1744, the Richelieu citadel and the Castellas tower were built.

19th century

Between 1807–1809 the British tried to burn the town. On 21 May 1821, the first stone of the breakwater was set (finished in 1869). On 9 June 1839 the

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the department of Hérault. In 2018, 290,053 people l ...

-Sète railway was opened. On 6 May 1872 the chamber of commerce was established. Between 1882–1888 construction works on the port took place. On 24 June 1894 Sante Geronimo Caserio, an Italian anarchist from

Lombardy (man), (woman) lmo, lumbard, links=no (man), (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , ...

and apprentice baker in Sète stabbed to death president Sadi Carnot in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

. In 1895, the boys' high school, later renamed the Lycée Paul Valéry was opened.

20th century

In 1901 an electric tramway network was built (used until 1935). In 1902, the Nelson family opened Chateau Nelson. On 20 January 1928, the name of the town changed from Cette to Sète. In 1934, FC Sète 34 won the Ligue 1 and Coupe de France and became the first football club to win both the same year. On 23 May 1939: the SS ''Sinaia'' leaves the port with

Spanish Republican The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 A ...

s seeking asylum in Lázaro Cárdenas's Mexico. On 12 November 1942: the town is occupied by the German troops of the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the '' Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previo ...

. On 25 June 1944 Sète railway station, Balaruc-les-Bains's and Frontignan's oil refineries were bombarded by the American 15th Air Force. On 20 August 1944 Sète was liberated. On 11 July 1947, the packet steamship SS President Warfield leaves for Palestine with 4 530 Jews who survived the Shoah. The port official M. Leboutet had authorised captain Ike Aronowicz to sail to Colombia and, after 5 days on the Atlantic Ocean, the ship took the name SS Exodus and changed direction towards Palestine. from the coast, they were stopped by 5 British torpedo boats. 75 passengers accepted asylum in France, while the others were brought to

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

via

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = "Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gibr ...

. In 1960, the Théâtre de la Mer was built. In 1962, the technical college Joliot-Curie was opened. In 1966–1978 major construction works on the port took place. In 1970, the Museum Paul Valéry was opened. From 1981–1984, a new public hospital was built. On 31 October 1991, the espace Georges Brassens, a museum dedicated to the singer, opened.

21st century

In 2004, a plan to preserve the ''Lido'' and prevent further coastal damage was made. In 2005 a new neighbourhood called ''Villeroy'' was created. In 2006 the "espace Georges Brassens" was renovated. In January 2007, the Languedoc-Roussillon manages the port of Sète. In 2014, une ville humanitaire, saw the creation of "les Anges de la Rue". In 2016, a great wine spill occurred at the Nelson Château.

Population

Patron saint

In 1703, when the Saint-Louis church was consecrated,

Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the House of Capet, Direct Capetians. He was Coronation of the French monarch, c ...

, patron of the port, also became the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of the town. He has been celebrated every year on 25 August, with canal jousting competitions, music and fireworks, except during wartime.

Transport

Sète is the eastern starting point of the Canal du Midi, and the ending point of the Canal du Rhône à Sète. Its train station Gare de Sète is approximately 15 minutes by train from

, and is also served by long-distance trains to Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille and Paris. Car ferries sail between Sète and Morocco.

Culture

Sète is a centre of

water jousting Water jousting is a form of jousting where the adversaries, carrying a lance and protected only by a shield, stand on a platform on the stern of a boat. The aim of the sport is to send the adversary into the water whilst maintaining one's own ba ...

, and hosts a major tournament during the town festival, the St-Louis. Paul Valéry's poem ''Le Cimetière Marin'', depicts the graveyard above Sète's harbour. Valéry is buried in the graveyard, and the nearby Paul Valéry Museum contains a collection of his drawings and manuscripts. ''Espace Georges-Brassens'' is a museum dedicated to the Sétois singer-songwriter. Agnès Varda's first film, '' La Pointe Courte'', was filmed in the environs of Sète. Director

Abdellatif Kechiche Abdellatif Kechiche (; ar, عبد اللطيف كشيش, born 7 December 1960) is a Tunisian- French actor, film director and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut in 2000 with '' La Faute à Voltaire'', which he also wrote. Known for his ...

set his film 2007 ''

The Secret of the Grain ''The Secret of the Grain'' (french: La graine et le mulet), titled ''Couscous'' in the UK, is a 2007 Franco-Tunisian drama film directed by Abdellatif Kechiche. The film stars Habib Boufares as an aging immigrant from the Maghreb whose ambition to ...

'', '' Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno'' (2017) and '' Mektoub, My Love: Intermezzo'' (2019) in Sète.

De vrais mensonges ''De vrais mensonges'' is a 2010 French comedy-romance film starring Audrey Tautou and directed by Pierre Salvadori. The screenplay was written by Salvadori and Benoît Graffin. It was distributed in English-speaking countries under the titles '' ...

(Beautiful Lies) is a 2010 French comedy-romance film, set in the town, starring

Audrey Tautou Audrey Justine Tautou (; born 9 August 1976) is a French actress. She made her acting debut at the age of 18 on television and her feature film debut in '' Venus Beauty Institute'' (1999), for which she received critical acclaim and won the Cés ...

and directed by

Pierre Salvadori Pierre Salvadori (born 8 November 1964) is a French film director from Santo-Pietro-di-Venaco, known for works on romantic comedies such as '' Hors de prix'' (2006). Life and career In 1989 Salvadori wrote his first screenplay, which would the ...

Notable people

Sète was the birthplace of: * David Serene (born 1970), footballer and veterinarian * Paul Valéry (1871–1945), author and poet of the Symbolist school *

Paul-Marie Masson Paul-Marie Masson (9 September 1882 – 27 January 1954) was a French musicologist, music teacher and composer. A specialist of the lyrical work of Jean-Philippe Rameau, in 1930 he published his thesis on ''L’Opéra de Rameau'', which is st ...

(1882–1954), composer and musicologist *

(1912–1971), actor and creator of the Avignon theatre festival * Georges Brassens (1921–1981), singer and songwriter * Manitas de Plata (1921–2014), flamenco guitarist * Gilbert Py (born 1933), Opera tenor *

Ives Roqueta Ives Roqueta (; born 29 February 1936 in Sète, Hérault, died January 4, 2015) was an Occitan author. He played a major role in the country's political and cultural movement. He was the president of the IEO for a number of years and his brother ...

(born 1933), writer and occitan activist * Alain de Pouzilhac (born 1945), CEO of

France 24 France 24 ( in French) is a French state-owned international news television network based in Paris. Its channels broadcast in French, English, Arabic, and Spanish and are aimed at the overseas market. Based in the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Mo ...

and former president of France Médias Monde * Simon Sutour (born 1952), Senator of the department Gard * Robert Combas (born 1957), sculptor and painter *

(born 1959), painter and sculptor * David Darmon (born 1975), footballer * Mathieu Peisson (born 1982), water polo player and Olympian at the 2016 Summer Olympics * Frédéric Sessa (born 1985), free-diver *

Fidji Simo Fidji Simo (born 5 October 1985) is a French businessperson and the CEO of Instacart. Prior to taking that position, she was head of the Facebook app at Facebook, and Vice President of Video, Games, and Monetization. She co-founded and is curren ...

(born 1985), managing director Instacart

International relations

Sète is twinned with: *

Neuburg an der Donau Neuburg an der Donau (Central Bavarian: ''Neiburg an da Donau'') is a town which is the capital of the Neuburg-Schrobenhausen district in the state of Bavaria in Germany. Divisions The municipality has 16 divisions: * Altmannstetten * Bergen, ...

, Germany, since 1986 * El Jadida, Morocco, since 1992 * Cetara, Italy, since 2003

Gallery

File:Phare du Mont-Saint-Clair, Sète, Hérault 05.jpg, Lighthouse of the Mount Saint-Clair File:Théatre de la Mer à Sète.jpg, Théatre de la Mer. File:Fort Richelieu, Sète, Hérault 03.jpg, Fort Richelieu. File:Quai Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, Sète 02.jpg, Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny Embankment. File:Dawn on Sète and the Étang de Thau.jpg, Sète and the Étang de Thau. File:Pont du Tivoli, Sète, Hérault 16.jpg, Tivoli Bridge over one of the canals of the town. File:Crique de l'Anau, Sète, Hérault 01.jpg, Crique de l'Anau, a cove in the Mediterranean Sea. File:Canal de la Peyrade, Sète, Hérault 01.jpg, Canal de la Peyrade File:Virla bridge 04.jpg File:Tournoi joutes 05.jpg File:Tournoi joutes 03.jpg File:Tournoi joutes 04.jpg File:Tournoi joutes 01.jpg File:Tournoi joutes.jpg File:Rond point Paul Valéry 01.jpg File:Rond point Paul Valéry 02.jpg File:Rond point Paul Valéry.jpg File:L’église décanale Saint-Louis.jpg File:Place public.jpg File:Escalier à séte.jpg File:Parc Simone Veil.jpg File:Parc Simone Veil.jpg File:Fontain de poulpe.jpg File:Virla bridge 01.jpg File:Place Aristide Briand.jpg File:Place Aristide Briand 01.jpg File:Virla Bridge.jpg File:Théâtre Molière Sète.jpg File:Art urbain Sète France 01.jpg File:Art urbain Sète France.jpg