Île de Noirmoutier
Encyclopedia
The island
of Noirmoutier is off the Atlantic
coast of France
in the Vendée
department.
Parts of the island have been reclaimed from the sea. In 2005 it served as the finish of the Tour de France
prologue
.
The communes of the island are grouped into a communauté de communes
. The communes are:
The island is most notable for the Passage du Gois
, a paved-over sandbank with a length of 4.5 kilometers, one of the routes that connects the island to the mainland. It is flooded twice a day by the high tide. Every year, a foot race – the Foulées du Gois – is held across it, starting at the onset of the high tide.
raid on continental Europe, when raiders attacked the monastery of Saint Philibert of Jumièges
in 799
.
St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
was born on this island on July 31, 1796.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
of Noirmoutier is off the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
coast of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the Vendée
Vendée
The Vendée is a department in the Pays-de-la-Loire region in west central France, on the Atlantic Ocean. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée river which runs through the south-eastern part of the department.-History:...
department.
Parts of the island have been reclaimed from the sea. In 2005 it served as the finish of the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
prologue
Prologue
A prologue is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information. The Greek prologos included the modern meaning of prologue, but was of wider significance...
.
The communes of the island are grouped into a communauté de communes
Communauté de communes
A communauté de communes is a federation of municipalities in France. It forms a framework within which local tasks are carried out together...
. The communes are:
- BarbâtreBarbâtreBarbâtre is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...
- L'ÉpineL'Épine, VendéeL'Épine is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...
- La GuérinièreLa GuérinièreLa Guérinière is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France.-References:*...
- Noirmoutier-en-l'ÎleNoirmoutier-en-l'ÎleNoirmoutier-en-l'Île, commonly referred to as Noirmoutier, is a commune located in the northern part of the island of Noirmoutier, just off the coast of the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France....
The island is most notable for the Passage du Gois
Passage du Gois
Le Passage de Gois ou Gôa is a natural, periodically flooded passage leading to the island of Noirmoutier in France. It is located between Île de Noirmoutier and Beauvoir-sur-Mer, in the department of Vendée...
, a paved-over sandbank with a length of 4.5 kilometers, one of the routes that connects the island to the mainland. It is flooded twice a day by the high tide. Every year, a foot race – the Foulées du Gois – is held across it, starting at the onset of the high tide.
History
Noirmoutier was the location of the first recorded VikingViking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
raid on continental Europe, when raiders attacked the monastery of Saint Philibert of Jumièges
Philibert of Jumièges
Saint Philibert of Jumièges was an abbot and monastic founder, particularly associated with Jumièges Abbey.He was born in Gascony as the only son of a Vic or Vic-Jour based courtier of Dagobert I and was educated by Saint Ouen...
in 799
799
Year 799 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 799 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Religion :* 29 November – Pope Leo III, aided...
.
St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
Mary Euphrasia Pelletier
- Biography :She was born in the island of Noirmoutier, France of pious parents, on 31 July 1796, and received in baptism the name of Rose Virginie. She entered the community of "Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge" of Tours , in 1814, and made her profession in 1816, taking the name of Mary Saint...
was born on this island on July 31, 1796.