Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche () is a wealthy commune in the

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the

Île-de-France , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 = +01:00 , timezone1_DST = CEST , utc_offset1_DST = +02:00 , blank_name_sec1 = Gross regional product , blank_info_sec1 = Ranked 1st , bla ...

region in north-central

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

History

Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche was built around 4 core hamlets near the

Forest of Marly A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

. 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, now the forest of Marly. The hamlet was originally called "Saint-Nonne au Val de Galie", the name of the parish, then "Saint-Nom près de la Bretesche" and since the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

, "Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche". During the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

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 , 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 The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

, uprooted centuries-old trees and part of the wall of the Château de la Bretèche along the Route de Sainte Gemme.

Golf course

Saint Nom is known internationally for its

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

in the Tuilerie area.

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

in the

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

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'Algue wanted to popularize the then little-known sport of

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

in France. With

Dominique Motte "Dominique" is a 1963 French language popular song, written and performed by the Belgian female singer Jeannine Deckers, better known as Sœur Sourire ("Sister Smile" in French) or The Singing Nun. The song is about Saint Dominic, a Spanish-bo ...

, he suggested the creation of a new "champion-trophy" to

Pierre Menet Pierre Menet is French businessman and 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, helpi ...

, the chairman of the

Lancôme Lancôme () is a French luxury perfumes and cosmetics house that distributes products internationally. Lancôme is part of the L'Oréal Luxury Products division, which is its parent company and offers luxury skin care, fragrances, and makeup at ...

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 54-hole competition took place in 1970 and was won by

Tony Jacklin Anthony Jacklin CBE (born 7 July 1944) is a retired English golfer. He was the most successful British player of his generation, winning two major championships, the 1969 Open Championship and the 1970 U.S. Open. He was also Ryder Cup captain ...

. Renamed "

Trophée Lancôme The Trophée Lancôme was a professional golf tournament which was staged in Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, France from 1970 to 2003. Gaëtan Mourgue D'Algue, a French golf enthusiast from Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, hoped to popularize the then little-know ...

" it was played by Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and

Seve Ballesteros Severiano Ballesteros Sota (; 9 April 1957 – 7 May 2011) was a Spanish professional golfer, a World No. 1 who was one of the sport's leading figures from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. A member of a gifted golfing family, he won 90 inte ...

Sights

Ferme de Saint-Nom

The

Ferme de Saint-Nom Ferme may refer to: * French ship ''Ferme'' (1699), a 72-gun ship of the line of the French Navy * French ship ''Ferme'' (1763), a 56-gun ''Bordelois''-class ship of the line of the French Navy * French ship ''Ferme'' (1785), a 74-gun ''Téméraire ...

, given by a lord of

Poissy Poissy () 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 of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Pisciacais'' in French. Poissy is one of ...

to the Vaux de Cernay monastery in 1228, and profited from numerous donations. By incrementally and regularly gaining plots of land, the

cistercian monks The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint B ...

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

, 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 XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

in 1700 for the

Comte de Toulouse The count of Toulouse ( oc, comte de Tolosa, french: comte de Toulouse) was the ruler of Toulouse during the 8th to 13th centuries. Originating as vassals of the Frankish kings, the hereditary counts ruled the city of Toulouse and its surroundin ...

(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 (15 July 1922 – 15 March 2019) was a French writer and literary critic. Biography Jean-Pierre Richard began his advanced studies at the École normale supérieure, at the time a school of the University of Paris, in 1941 ...

, father of the famous painter and engraver

Jean-Claude Richard Jean-Claude Richard de Saint-Non (1727 – 25 November 1791) was a French painter and printmaker. He was born, and also died, in Paris. He is often rather misleadingly known as the "Abbé de Saint-Non"; although intended for the church by his ...

, the " Abbé de Saint-Nom".

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

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.

Forêt de Marly

The

Forêt de Marly The Forêt de Marly (known as the forêt de Cruye until the 18th century) is a 2000 hectare forest estate in Yvelines, between Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Versailles about 15 km to the west of Paris. It is about 12 km long east to west, ov ...

is 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"

Gallery

File:Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche Église2.JPG, File:Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche Mare.JPG, File:Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche Golf, entraînement au swing.JPG, File:Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche Monument aux morts.JPG, File:TransilienL - Gare StNom 5.JPG,

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 of the '' Potentilla reptans'' () 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 de Montfort, shown on historical charts dating back to 1226 and leased to the Monks of Saint-Nom. The crown of the crest shows a three-towered wall, which was the symbol worn by Greek goddesses, guardians of the cities.

Notable people

* , lord of La Bretèche in 1420 and died there in 1429. * , painter who frequently spent time in the town, where his gallerist resided. *

Charles Letrosne Charles Antoine Letrosne (5 April 1868 – 9 August 1939) was a French architect and writer known as the author of the influential three-volume ''Murs et toits pour le pays de chez nous'' (1923. Life Charles Antoine Letrosne was born on 5 April ...

, architect and writer, died in Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche in 1939. * Blaise Matuidi, footballer who resided in the commune while he played for Paris Saint-Germain. * Gaëtan Mourgue D'Algue, golfer who resided in the commune. *

Pierre Richard-Willm Pierre Richard-Willm (3 November 1895 – 12 April 1983) was a French stage and film actor during the 1930s and 1940s."Pierre Richard-Willm" aCiné-Ressources Retrieved 1 November 2020. Biography Pierre Richard-Willm (originally Alexandre-Pi ...

, actor who owned a property in the commune. *

Pierre-Yves Trémois Pierre-Yves Trémois (8 January 1921 – 16 August 2020) was a French visual artist and sculptor, known for evocative works drawing in equal proportions on surrealism and science illustration, and for combining graphic precision and rigor with ...

, sculptor, died in Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche in 2020.

Twin towns

Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche is twinned with Valley Village,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Along with

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. Twin towns Al ...

Crespières Crespières () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Twin towns Along with Chavenay, Feucherolles and Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche Crespières is twinned with Rösrath, Germany. See also *Commu ...

and

Feucherolles Feucherolles () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. Twin towns Along with Crespières, Chavenay and Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche Feucherolles is twinned with Rösrath, Germany. See also *Communes of ...

, Saint-Nom is also twinned with

Rösrath Rösrath (; ) is a town in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis (district) 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 Paleo ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

References

External links

Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche official websiteSaint-Nom-la-Bretèche Historical Society website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saintnomlabreteche Communes of Yvelines