Saint-Briac-sur-Mer
Encyclopedia
Saint-Briac-sur-Mer is a commune
in the Ille-et-Vilaine
Department of Brittany in north-western France
.
As of the census
of 1999, the town had a population of . The estimate for 2004 was .
which means it enjoys a warm climate, several degrees warmer than the surrounding areas. The village has fine examples of tropical palms and plants, along the streets, making strolls very enjoyable.
s, seven beaches, four tennis courts, one soccer field, a yacht club
, one mini golf, one 18 hole golf course
, and more than 5 restaurants.
The 4th and 5th day of September 1758, a British fleet of 113 ships under the command of Admiral Richard Howe, landed east of the Garde Guerin, in Saint Briac. With a force of more than 12,000 men, under the command of General Thomas Bligh
, who accompanied the Duke of York, the future king George III, they established camp in neighboring St Lunaire, but not before pillaging and burning down more than half of Saint Briac.
Le Chateau du Nessay (seen below) was built on an emplacement of a castle originating form the 12th century. During the French Revolution
, it was used as a prison, to hold political prisoners.
St Briac was called Port Briac during the French Revolution
.
The Forbes
family estate, called Les Essarts
was bombed during World War II
. Les Essarts was rebuilt in 1954.
, a former Green Party
candidate for president of France, was mayor of this wealthy resort village from 1989 to 2008.
Lalonde and his first cousin, U.S. Senator
John Kerry
, are grandsons of James Grant Forbes
, an heir of the Forbes family
of China
and Boston. James Grant Forbes was born in Shanghai
and later moved to France where the Forbes family estate
is located. Kerry and Lalonde were childhood friends on the estate in Saint Briac.
The current mayor is Auguste Senghor, nephew of former Senegalese President Léopold Senghor.
, the Titular Empress of all the Russias, lived here with her husband and their son and one of their daughters.
Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia
, Victoria's husband, Head of the Imperial Family of Russia and Titular Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias.
Kira Kirillovna of Russia, their youngest daughter and wife of Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia
heir to the Prussian Throne.
Vladimir Cyrillovich, Grand Duke of Russia, their son, Head of the Imperial Family of Russia and Titular Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias after the death of his father. Vladimir is the father of Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia a disputed claimant to the leadership of the Imperial Family.
Armel Beaufils
a sculptor, lived in St Briac from 1929 to 1952.
Emile Bernard
a painter and writer, decorated, during the two months he stayed in St Briac, the motel room in which he stayed, situated on the street, that now carries his name.
Auguste Renoir painted a peasant and her cow in the outskirts of the village.
Paul Signac
a painter, creator of pointillism
and divisionism
commonly stopped in St Briac during his travels.
Hugh Grant
an actor
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Ille-et-Vilaine
Ille-et-Vilaine
Ille-et-Vilaine is a department of France, located in the region of Brittany in the northwest of the country.- History :Ille-et-Vilaine is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
Department of Brittany in north-western 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...
.
Demographics
Inhabitants of Saint-Briac-sur-Mer are called Briacins.As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 1999, the town had a population of . The estimate for 2004 was .
Climate
St Briac lies on the Gulf StreamGulf Stream
The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension towards Europe, the North Atlantic Drift, is a powerful, warm, and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates at the tip of Florida, and follows the eastern coastlines of the United States and Newfoundland before crossing the Atlantic Ocean...
which means it enjoys a warm climate, several degrees warmer than the surrounding areas. The village has fine examples of tropical palms and plants, along the streets, making strolls very enjoyable.
Leisure
Saint Briac has two campsiteCampsite
A campsite or camping pitch is a place used for overnight stay in the outdoors. In British English a campsite is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using tents or camper vans or caravans; this British English use of the word is synonymous with the...
s, seven beaches, four tennis courts, one soccer field, a yacht club
Yacht club
A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to sailing and yachting.-Description:Yacht Clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there are some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations...
, one mini golf, one 18 hole golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
, and more than 5 restaurants.
History
The name St Briac comes from the name of Saint Briac, an Irishman. Briac arrived from Ireland with Saint Tugdual in around 548.The 4th and 5th day of September 1758, a British fleet of 113 ships under the command of Admiral Richard Howe, landed east of the Garde Guerin, in Saint Briac. With a force of more than 12,000 men, under the command of General Thomas Bligh
Thomas Bligh
Thomas Bligh was a British soldier, best known for his service during the Seven Years' War when he led a series of amphibious raids, known as "descents" on the French coastline...
, who accompanied the Duke of York, the future king George III, they established camp in neighboring St Lunaire, but not before pillaging and burning down more than half of Saint Briac.
Le Chateau du Nessay (seen below) was built on an emplacement of a castle originating form the 12th century. During the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, it was used as a prison, to hold political prisoners.
St Briac was called Port Briac during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
The Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
family estate, called Les Essarts
Les Essarts, Forbes family estate
is the Forbes family estate at Saint-Briac, France, and the international family seat of the descendants of James Grant Forbes , a member of the Forbes family of China and Boston who settled in Brittany at...
was bombed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Les Essarts was rebuilt in 1954.
Politics
Brice LalondeBrice Lalonde
Brice Lalonde is a former green party leader in France, who ran for President of France in the Presidential elections, 1981. In 1988 he was named Minister of the Environment, and in 1990 founded the green party Ecology Generation...
, a former Green Party
Les Verts
' is the name of various green political parties in French-speaking countries such as:official name:*Les Verts in France;*Les Verts in Luxembourg ;*Les Verts in Benin;*Les Verts in Mauritius;...
candidate for president of France, was mayor of this wealthy resort village from 1989 to 2008.
Lalonde and his first cousin, U.S. Senator
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
, are grandsons of James Grant Forbes
James Grant Forbes
James Grant Forbes was a Scottish-American businessman, a member of the Forbes family. He was the son of Francis Blackwell Forbes, the brother of William Hathaway Forbes and the husband of Isabel Clark....
, an heir of the Forbes family
Forbes family
The Forbes family is a wealthy extended American family originating in Boston. The family's fortune originates from trading between North America and China in the 19th century plus other investments in the same period. The name descends from Scottish immigrants, and can be traced back to Sir John...
of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Boston. James Grant Forbes was born in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and later moved to France where the Forbes family estate
Les Essarts, Forbes family estate
is the Forbes family estate at Saint-Briac, France, and the international family seat of the descendants of James Grant Forbes , a member of the Forbes family of China and Boston who settled in Brittany at...
is located. Kerry and Lalonde were childhood friends on the estate in Saint Briac.
The current mayor is Auguste Senghor, nephew of former Senegalese President Léopold Senghor.
Notable people
Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-GothaPrincess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , was the third child and second daughter of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia...
, the Titular Empress of all the Russias, lived here with her husband and their son and one of their daughters.
Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia
Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia
Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia was a member of the Russian Imperial Family. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the deaths of Tsar Nicholas II and his brother Michael, Cyril assumed the Headship of the Imperial Family of Russia and later the title Emperor and Autocrat of all the...
, Victoria's husband, Head of the Imperial Family of Russia and Titular Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias.
Kira Kirillovna of Russia, their youngest daughter and wife of Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia
Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia
-Children:* Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia , married firstly Waltraud Freytag on 22 August 1967 in Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany; secondly Ehrengard von Reden on 23 April 1976; thirdly Sibylle Kretschmer. He renounced his succession rights on 18 September 1967...
heir to the Prussian Throne.
Vladimir Cyrillovich, Grand Duke of Russia, their son, Head of the Imperial Family of Russia and Titular Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias after the death of his father. Vladimir is the father of Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia a disputed claimant to the leadership of the Imperial Family.
Armel Beaufils
Armel Beaufils
Émile Jean Armel Beaufils was a French sculptor who created numerous commemorative works in his native Brittany. Beaufils was born in Rennes and died in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer. He always signed his work "Armel Beaufils". He also collaborated with his partner Suzanne Duvivier, who used the name Zannic...
a sculptor, lived in St Briac from 1929 to 1952.
Emile Bernard
Émile Bernard
Émile Henri Bernard is known as a Post-Impressionist painter who had artistic friendships with Van Gogh, Gauguin and Eugene Boch, and at a later time, Cézanne. Most of his notable work was accomplished at a young age, in the years 1886 through 1897. He is also associated with Cloisonnism and...
a painter and writer, decorated, during the two months he stayed in St Briac, the motel room in which he stayed, situated on the street, that now carries his name.
Auguste Renoir painted a peasant and her cow in the outskirts of the village.
Paul Signac
Paul Signac
Paul Signac was a French neo-impressionist painter who, working with Georges Seurat, helped develop the pointillist style.-Biography:Paul Victor Jules Signac was born in Paris on 11 November 1863...
a painter, creator of pointillism
Pointillism
Pointillism is a technique of painting in which small, distinct dots of pure color are applied in patterns to form an image. Georges Seurat developed the technique in 1886, branching from Impressionism. The term Pointillism was first coined by art critics in the late 1880s to ridicule the works...
and divisionism
Divisionism
Divisionism was the characteristic style in Neo-Impressionist painting defined by the separation of colors into individual dots or patches which interacted optically....
commonly stopped in St Briac during his travels.
Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He has received a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA, and an Honorary César. His films have earned more than $2.4 billion from 25 theatrical releases worldwide. Grant achieved international stardom after appearing in Richard Curtis's...
an actor