Location: Saint-Raphaël 🌎

Saint-Raphaël (French: [sɛ̃ ʁafaɛl]; Occitan: Sant Rafèu Occitan pronunciation: [ˈsan raˈfɛw]) is a commune in the Var department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, Southeastern France. In 2017, it had a population of 35,042. 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.