Jersey's main town owes its name to a 6th-century Belgian hermit monk who lived on a rocky islet not far from today's Elizabeth Castle. In the 14th century, Saint-Hélier was the island's smallest parish after Saint-Saviour, Saint-Martin, Saint-Ouen, Grouville and Trinity. The governor lived at Château de Mont Orgueil in Gorey, on the island's east coast, and merchants unloaded their goods at Saint-Aubin, on the other side of the bay. Saint-Hélier was therefore by no means considered a strategic town. It was monks who first settled there. The king granted them permission to set up a market, and many farmers came to sell their produce. Taverns and other small businesses followed, and eventually the Royal Court was established, where judges, lawyers and other officials governed commercial transactions. In the 16th century, advances in artillery technology made the Château de Mont Orgueil extremely vulnerable. The islanders therefore decided to build a new, much more modern fortress opposite Saint-Hélier - today's Château Elizabeth - which they dedicated to Queen ElizabethI. The governor, Sir Walter Raleigh, made it his new residence. Until the 17th century, Saint-Hélier consisted of little more than two hundred houses. In the 18th century, the town was faced with a massive influx of French immigrants: Huguenots fleeing further repression by the Catholic authorities, then a flood of aristocrats threatened by the Revolution of 1789. Many Englishmen, weary of the taxes levied to cope with the Napoleonic wars, also settled here with their families to enjoy a more comfortable life. Finally, the town was occupied by British soldiers to ward off a possible French invasion. The establishment of a steamship link between England and Jersey brought an ever-increasing influx of English speakers. The island's French-speaking majority quickly learned English to satisfy their new customers, and the local language gradually fell into disuse. The words "livres tournois", "sous" and "liards", for example, were replaced by the English words one of pounds, shillings and pence. In 1734, the town had a population of 2,000, rising to 8,000 in 1800, 16,000 in 1831 and 30,000 in 1851. Some twenty churches, chapels and temples were built to meet the needs of each religious community: Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Quakers, Methodists, Mormons and Jews. Several markets sprang up around the city: the Pig Market, the Fish Market and the Vegetable Market. Town Hall housed the police barracks and municipal offices on the first floor, with a meeting room upstairs. Little by little, Saint-Hélier grew to become the island's capital as we know it today. Despite stringent measures to control and prevent the arrival of new immigrants, the town continued to expand and encroach on neighboring parishes. But the Jersey authorities sought to stem the tide by protecting neighboring land. To compensate for the lack of available land, the city is gaining on the sea (and not always in pretty proportions), as evidenced by the new buildings on the Waterfront, which are far too modern to blend in with the landscape.

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Elizabeth Castle. Kiev.Victor - Shutterstock.com
La marina de Saint-Helier. Mrtom-uk - iStockphoto
Monument sur la Place de la Libération à Saint-Hélier. Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH - Shutterstock.com
Festivités dans les rues de Saint-Helier. Alan_Lagadu - iStockphoto
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