Noirmoutier-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. History The history of the town began with the arrival of the monk Saint Philibert in 674 who founded a monastery. The Château de Noirmoutier dates from the 11th and 12th century. In summer the area is a tourist resort. The name is recorded in Latin as Nerium Monasterium, wrongly written by some as Nigrum Monasterium ("Black Monastery"). In the second part of the 17th century, the island was a center of tobacco smuggling, just like Paimboeuf. Indeed, Louis XIV created in November 1674 a tobacco farm which bought tobacco from the Antilles at low prices to resell to high prices, exposing themselves to competition from tobacco from the Virginia. Imported stocks are then sold on the continent using small boats called chattes. Until 1858, the territory of the commune extended over the whole of the island, then began to be fragmented with the creation of the commune of Barbâtre, followed, some sixty years later, in 1919, by those of La Guérinière and from L'Épine. Geography Noirmoutier-en-l'Île is situated to the north of the island of Noirmoutier, in the Atlantic Ocean. The commune covers the northern point of the island, and contains three villages: Noirmoutier, L'Herbaudiere and Le Vieil. L'Herbaudiere is a noteworthy port and is managed by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Vendée. The inconvenient location in relation to the town and economic success of the village encouraged its inhabitants to seek the establishment of a commune independent from Noirmoutier-en-l'Île. Le Vieil is also located on the north coast within the commune. It is a popular destination for vacationers over the summer. An inventor Brutus de Villeroi tested the first French submarine in the village on 12 August 1832. An old street bears his name. Climate Noirmoutier-en-l'Île has a oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) closely bordering on a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb). The average annual temperature in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île is . The average annual rainfall is with November as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île was on 18 July 2022; the coldest temperature ever recorded was