Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃t maʁi syʁ mɛʁ]; Breton: Lokmaria-Pornizh), officially Sainte-Marie, is a former commune in the Pays de Retz, situated in the Loire-Atlantique département and in the French région of Pays de la Loire. From 1973, it was absorbed by the neighbouring commune of Pornic and from 1 July 2007 it became a subdivision of this commune.

The commune forms a part of Brittany, in the traditional county of Retz and in the historical Pays Nantais.

The inhabitants of Sainte-Marie are known as the Sanmaritains and Sanmaritaines.

Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer is a market town on the Côte de Jade, with a jagged coastline strewn with coves.

At one time, during the French First Republic, Sainte-Marie was known as Roche-Peltier.

The commune of Sainte-Marie was attached to that of Pornic on 1 June 1973 (under the terms of the Marcelin law of 16 July 1971).

On 16 May 2006 the Sanmaritains voted for the complete amalgamation of the communes of Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer and Pornic with 50.83% of the vote in favour (with a difference of just 47 votes out of more than 2800 voters). In effect, from 1973, Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer possessed a status of associated commune with Pornic and removed the deputy mayor of Sainte-Marie, Jean-François Cossé who had opposed the amalgamation of the two communes.

On 1 July 2007, after the acceptance by the prefect of the amalgamation of the communes of Pornic and Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer, the latter lost its status as associated commune and became a subdivision of Pornic .

• Abbé Beaudouin -1823
• Bodin des Plantes 1823-
• Edouard Thomas -1828
• François Raffin 1828- (maire provisoire)
• Edouard Thomas -1852
• René Laraison 1852-1870
• Michel Picot 1870-1884
• François Maurice 1884-1886
• Jules Galot 1886-
• Guillon Constant 1886-
• Souchlaud
• Bézier
• Rouhaud

After the amalgamation with the town of Pornic, Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer and the aforementioned Pornic came to represent a single electoral zone.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 1,220 —     1800 1,097 −1.51% 1806 1,119 +0.33% 1821 1,286 +0.93% 1831 1,458 +1.26% 1841 1,459 +0.01% 1846 1,414 −0.62% 1851 1,501 +1.20% 1856 1,456 −0.61% 1861 1,484 +0.38% 1866 1,517 +0.44% 1872 1,532 +0.16% 1876 1,536 +0.07% 1881 1,522 −0.18%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1886 1,604 +1.06% 1891 1,715 +1.35% 1896 1,837 +1.38% 1901 1,850 +0.14% 1906 1,832 −0.20% 1911 1,792 −0.44% 1921 1,578 −1.26% 1926 1,652 +0.92% 1931 1,658 +0.07% 1936 1,638 −0.24% 1946 1,736 +0.58% 1954 1,869 +0.93% 1962 1,899 +0.20% 1968 2,059 +1.36%
Source: EHESS

• Sainte-Marie church
• Le chateau de La Mossardière
• Commonwealth war graves in Ste. Marie Communal Cemetery

• René Babonneau

Since the end of March 2007 the market was moved creating a heated debate between tradesman, customers and the town hall. In the Courier of the Pays de Retz of 5 April 2007 the writer of the article spoke of a toxic atmosphere in the town.

• Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department
• Baie de Bourgneuf
• Côte de Jade
• Pays de Retz
• Pornic
• Pêcherie

¹ - Source : Ouest France.

• Infobretagne.com - History of Pornic, Sainte-Marie and Clion

• This article is based on the equivalent article from the French Wikipedia, consulted on March 6th 2008.

47°6′46″N 2°7′55″W / 47.11278°N 2.13194°W / 47.11278; -2.13194