Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche
Encyclopedia
Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche is a commune
in the Yvelines
department in the Île-de-France
in north-central France
.
near the Forest of Marly. The village takes its name from a 9th century co-bishop, Saint Nonne, who re-evangelized the country after the Norman invasions, and from La Bretesche, a wooden stronghold (from breit eiche: big oak tree) consisting of a hamlet at the edge of the Forest of Cruye.
The hamlet was originally called "Saint-Nonne in the Val de Galie", the name of the parish, then "St Nom near la Bretesche" and since the Revolution
, "Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche".
During the French Revolution
the district was called "La Montagne Fromentale" and then "l'Union la Bretesche".
The hamlets of Avinières, Val-Martin, La Tuilerie-Bignon were the responsibility of numerous lords, as well as of the Dames de Poissy and the Vaux de Cernay Abbey.
The north of the village, La Bretèche, was part of Marly Park, while the south, Saint-Nom, was part of Versailles Park, making it difficult for the village as a whole to acquire an identity well into the 20th century.
Steady demographic growth, which accelerated significantly after 1982, eventually unified the two villages and allowed the building of a "Centre Village" and a Library by 2000.
Some historic structures in the village suffered irreparable damage from a freak storm with tornado strength winds that struck France in December 1999. The storm, which also damaged nearby Versailles
, uprooted centuries-old trees and part of the wall of the Château de la Bretèche along the Route de Sainte Gemme.
in the Paris
area.
On May 2, 1957, Mr. Entem, mayor of the village, officially revealed the project of a golf course to the town council.
1959 saw the opening of a 36-hole golf course.
, wanted to popularize the then little-known sport of Golf
in France. With Dominique Motte, he suggested the creation of a new "champion-trophy" to Pierre Menet
, the chairman of the Lancôme
Company, whose goal would be to bring together eight of the best players in the world.
The Canada Cup, took place in Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche in 1963, which enhanced the village's international reputation.
The first fifty-four hole competition took place in 1970 and was won by Tony Jacklin
.
Renamed "Trophée Lancôme
" it was played by Arnold Palmer
, Gary Player
and Seve Ballesteros.
to the Vaux de Cernay monastery in 1228, and profited from numerous donations. By incrementally and regularly gaining plots of land, the cistercian monks turned the agricultural estate into what was then considered to be a model farm, setting well distributed buildings around a farmyard. Sold as public property during the French Revolution
, the farm was greatly modified during the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 20th century, lodgings were established on the property; the only remaining memento of the original farm was the inscription of its name, written over the porchway.
in 1700 for the Comte de Toulouse (legitimatized son of the King and Madame de Montespan) who housed his hunting equipment on the premises. The castle was subsequently purchased by numerous lords, one of whom was Jean-Pierre Richard
, father of the famous painter and engraver Jean-Claude Richard
, the "Abbé de Saint-Nom".
.
The three five-petalled leaves symbolize the Forest of Marly-le-Roi
, a large part of which belongs to Saint-Nom.
The fork-tailed lion comes from the seal of Amaury VI de Montfort, shown on historical charts dating back to 1226 and leased to the Monks of St Nom.
The crown of the crest shows a three-towered wall, which was the symbol worn by Greek goddesses, guardians of the cities.
.
Along with Chavenay
, Crespières
and Feucherolles
, Saint-Nom is also twinned with Rösrath
, Germany
.
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 Yvelines
Yvelines
Yvelines is a French department in the region of Île-de-France.-History:Yvelines was created from the western part of the defunct department of Seine-et-Oise on 1 January 1968 in accordance with a law passed on 10 January 1964 and a décret d'application from 26 February 1965.It gained the...
department in the Île-de-France
Île-de-France (région)
Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
in north-central 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...
.
History
Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche was built around 4 core hamletsHamlets
Hamlets is the name of an open source system for generating web-pages originally developed by René Pawlitzek at IBM...
near the Forest of Marly. The village takes its name from a 9th century co-bishop, Saint Nonne, who re-evangelized the country after the Norman invasions, and from La Bretesche, a wooden stronghold (from breit eiche: big oak tree) consisting of a hamlet at the edge of the Forest of Cruye.
The hamlet was originally called "Saint-Nonne in the Val de Galie", the name of the parish, then "St Nom near la Bretesche" and since the 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...
, "Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche".
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 district was called "La Montagne Fromentale" and then "l'Union la Bretesche".
The hamlets of Avinières, Val-Martin, La Tuilerie-Bignon were the responsibility of numerous lords, as well as of the Dames de Poissy and the Vaux de Cernay Abbey.
The north of the village, La Bretèche, was part of Marly Park, while the south, Saint-Nom, was part of Versailles Park, making it difficult for the village as a whole to acquire an identity well into the 20th century.
Steady demographic growth, which accelerated significantly after 1982, eventually unified the two villages and allowed the building of a "Centre Village" and a Library by 2000.
Some historic structures in the village suffered irreparable damage from a freak storm with tornado strength winds that struck France in December 1999. The storm, which also damaged nearby Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
, uprooted centuries-old trees and part of the wall of the Château de la Bretèche along the Route de Sainte Gemme.
History
In 1954, Mr. Ortet, owner of the "Ferme de le Tuilerie", asked a real estate agent, Daniel Feau, to find a potential buyer for his property. Feau wanted to build a large golf courseGolf 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...
in the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
area.
On May 2, 1957, Mr. Entem, mayor of the village, officially revealed the project of a golf course to the town council.
1959 saw the opening of a 36-hole golf course.
Origin of the Trophée Lancôme
Saint Nom resident, Gaëtan Mourgue D'AlgueGaëtan Mourgue D'Algue
Gaëtan Mourgue D'Algue, resident of Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, France, who helped popularize the then little known sport of Golf in the country during the early 1960s...
, wanted to popularize the then little-known sport of Golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
in France. With Dominique Motte, he suggested the creation of a new "champion-trophy" to Pierre Menet
Pierre Menet
Pierre Menet is chairman emeritus of the French Lancôme Company. He is credited, along with Gaëtan Mourgue D'Algue and Dominque Motte, with bringing the Canada Cup golf tournament to Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche in 1963, helping popularize the then little known sport of golf in France...
, the chairman of the Lancôme
Lancôme
Lancôme Paris is a makeup brand. Owned by L'Oréal since 1964, Lancôme is part of the Luxury Products division, which offers skin care, fragrances, and makeup at higher-end prices....
Company, whose goal would be to bring together eight of the best players in the world.
The Canada Cup, took place in Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche in 1963, which enhanced the village's international reputation.
The first fifty-four hole competition took place in 1970 and was won by Tony Jacklin
Tony Jacklin
Anthony Jacklin CBE is an English golfer, who was the most successful British player of his generation. He was also the most successful European Ryder Cup captain ever.-Early life and education:...
.
Renamed "Trophée Lancôme
Trophée Lancôme
The Trophée Lancôme was a professional golf tournament which was staged in France from 1970 to 2003.Gaëtan Mourgue D'Algue, a French golf enthusiast from Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, hoped to popularize the then little-known sport of Golf in France during the early 1960s...
" it was played by Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...
, Gary Player
Gary Player
Gary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six...
and Seve Ballesteros.
Sights
The Ferme de Saint-Nom
The Ferme de Saint-Nom, given by a lord of PoissyPoissy
Poissy is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the center.In 1561 it was the site of a fruitless Catholic-Huguenot conference, the Colloquy at Poissy...
to the Vaux de Cernay monastery in 1228, and profited from numerous donations. By incrementally and regularly gaining plots of land, the cistercian monks turned the agricultural estate into what was then considered to be a model farm, setting well distributed buildings around a farmyard. Sold as public property 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 farm was greatly modified during the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 20th century, lodgings were established on the property; the only remaining memento of the original farm was the inscription of its name, written over the porchway.
Chateau of la Bretèche
Now private property, formerly fief of the Pomereu family for over two centuries. It was sold to King Louis XIVLouis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
in 1700 for the Comte de Toulouse (legitimatized son of the King and Madame de Montespan) who housed his hunting equipment on the premises. The castle was subsequently purchased by numerous lords, one of whom was Jean-Pierre Richard
Jean-Pierre Richard
Jean-Pierre Richard, is a French writer and literary critic.- Biography :Jean-Pierre Richard began his advanced studies at the École normale supérieure in the rue d'Ulm in 1941, passed the "agrégation" in literature in 1945, and got his doctoral degree in 1962...
, father of the famous painter and engraver Jean-Claude Richard
Jean-Claude Richard
Jean-Claude Richard de Saint-Non was a French painter and engraver.-Family background and history:His family estate, from which he derives his full title, is The Château de Saint-Nom. It is located in the village of Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche in Yvelines, France...
, the "Abbé de Saint-Nom".
The Ferme de Valmartin
The Ferme de Valmartin belonged to a seigniory until 1600, when it was sold to the nuns of the Royal convent of the Dames de Poissy. It was transformed into a farm by the end of the 18th century, where it was used to breed merino sheep. The farm was sold as public property during the French RevolutionFrench 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...
.
Tuilerie-Bignon
Formerly part of Versailles Park, this land was later turned into Saint-Nom's prestigious golf course.Church of Saint Nom
The church was originally a tithe barn belonging to the Ferme de St-Nom. A watchtower was erected to protect the church in the 12th century. The church has been expanded, partially destroyed and remodeled between the 12th and 20th centuries. It was restored in the late 20th century.The Forêt de Marly
An ancient oak forest formerly called the Forêt de Cruye. It covers one third of Saint-Nom.Other notable historical structures
- Old Post office de Saint Nom, Rue de Valmartin
- Boulangerie de la Bretèche
- Maison du 2 Route de Sainte Gemme
- Maison "La Fleuriade" (subdivided in 1989 into the 'Clos du Pré du Val')
- Maison "de Lesseps"
- Maison "La Datcha" de Pierre Richard Willem (was later replaced by 'la Résidence du Parc')
- Maison "Kosciusko"
Coat of arms
The coat of arms of Saint-Nom shows in its center the "fasce bretessée" which evokes the etymology of Bretèche (from the Latin bretachiae): a fortification built at the entrance of a forest.The three five-petalled leaves symbolize the Forest of Marly-le-Roi
Marly-le-Roi
Marly-le-Roi is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the centre....
, a large part of which belongs to Saint-Nom.
The fork-tailed lion comes from the seal of Amaury VI de Montfort, shown on historical charts dating back to 1226 and leased to the Monks of St Nom.
The crown of the crest shows a three-towered wall, which was the symbol worn by Greek goddesses, guardians of the cities.
Twin towns
Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche is twinned with Valley Village, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Along with Chavenay
Chavenay
Chavenay, also known as Vallon de Chavenay, is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located close to Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and Versailles.-References:*...
, Crespières
Crespières
Crespières is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-References:*...
and Feucherolles
Feucherolles
Feucherolles is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France.-References:*...
, Saint-Nom is also twinned with Rösrath
Rösrath
Rösrath is a city in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The earliest known documents mentioning the settlement Rösrath can be found in documents dated to 1356. There have been findings of Paleolithic and Mesolithic tools in the city area Forsbach...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.