Saint-Florent (; , ; , ) is a commune in

Haute-Corse Haute-Corse (; , or ; ) is a department of France, consisting of the northern part of the island of Corsica. The corresponding departmental territorial collectivity merged with that of Corse-du-Sud on 1 January 2018, forming the single ter ...

department on the island of

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Originally a fishing port located in the gulf of the same name, pleasure boats have now largely taken the place of fishing vessels. Today, it is a popular summer vacation spot for many tourists because of its proximity to the Patrimonio vineyards and the Saleccia beach.

History

Saint-Florent was created by the Genoese in the 16th century as a base to carry out repressive operations against the Corsican patriots in the surrounding villages. France later used it to disembark hordes of

mercenaries A mercenary is a private individual who joins an War, armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rath ...

and colonists during August 1764 in order to subjugate the independent Corsican people. After the defeat at Ponte Novu Bridge, the army of

Pasquale Paoli Filippo Antonio Pasquale de' Paoli (; or ; ; 6 April 1725 – 5 February 1807) was a Corsican patriot, statesman, and military leader who was at the forefront of resistance movements against the Republic of Genoa, Genoese and later Kingd ...

, sometimes called "the Father of Corsica", with the aid of the fleet of

Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

, reconquered Saint-Florent in 1794 during Corsica's brief Anglo-Corsican rule.

Population

Climate

Saint-Florent has a typically

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

- mild winters with temperatures rarely dropping below zero give way to long, warm, dry summers with temperatures peaking at around in July and August.

Sights

The monuments of Saint-Florent are the Genoese citadel constructed in 1440 at the same time as the city, and the Romanesque Saint-Florent Cathedral, or the cathedral of the Nebbio, now the church of Santa Maria Assunta. Near the village are the

Genoese tower The Genoese towers in Corsica (, , singular : , also ; ) are a series of coastal defences constructed by the Republic of Genoa between 1530 and 1620 to stem the attacks by Barbary pirates. Corsica had been controlled by the Genoese since 1284 whe ...

s Torra di Mortella and Torra di Fornali.

Notable people

* Louis Bizarelli, former politician, was born at Saint-Florent in 1836. * Lizzy Mercier Descloux, musician and singer, spent her last years in Saint-Florent. She died there in 2004. * Marie Ferranti, author, lives and works in Saint-Florent. * Antoine Gentili, general and exile companion of

References

External links

*
Picture of Saint-Florent Cathedral
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saintflorent Communes of Haute-Corse Haute-Corse communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia