Yvelines
Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the ÃŽle-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.department in the
ÃŽle-de-France
The ÃŽle-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...
region in north-central
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
History
Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche was built around 4 core
hamlets
A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. This is often simply an informal description of a smaller settlement or possibly a subdivision or satellite entity to a larger settlement. Sometimes a hamlet is defined f ...
near the
Forest of Marly
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense community of 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 functio ...
. 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 (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
, "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
Vaux-de-Cernay Abbey () is a former Cistercian monastery in northern France (ÃŽle-de-France), situated in Cernay-la-Ville, in the Diocese of Versailles, Yvelines. The abbey was abandoned during the French Revolution and fell into partial ruin. M ...
.
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 ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of ÃŽle-de-France, ÃŽle-de-France region in Franc ...
Transilien
Transilien () is the brand name given to the commuter rail and tram-train network operated by SNCF and serving ÃŽle-de-France, the region surrounding and including the city of Paris. The network consists of lines
Transilien Line H, H, Transilie ...
commuter trains and
ÃŽle-de-France tramway Line 13 Express
ÃŽle-de-France tramway Line 13 Express (T13 Express; French language, French: ''Ligne 13 Express du tramway '', known as the ''Tangentielle Ouest'' and ''Tram Express Ouest'' in the planning phase) is a suburban tram-train line in Yvelines, west ...
.
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 teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...
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
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 teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...
in the
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
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.
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 Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
in France. With
Dominique Motte
"Dominique" is a 1963 French language popular song, written and performed by Belgian singer Jeannine Deckers, better known as SÅ“ur Sourire ("Sister Smile" in French) or The Singing Nun. The song is about Saint Dominic, a Spanish-born priest an ...
, 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, help ...
Company, whose goal would be to bring together eight of the best players in the world.
The
Canada Cup
The Canada Cup () was an invitational international ice hockey tournament held on five occasions between 1976 and 1991. The brainchild of Toronto lawyer Alan Eagleson, the tournament was created to meet demand for a true world championship that a ...
, 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 an 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 from ...
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Since embarking on a professional career in ...
,
Gary Player
Gary James Player (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tour and nine ...
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 ...
Poissy
Poissy () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the ÃŽle-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Inhabitan ...
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 (, 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 Benedict, as well as the contri ...
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.
Chateau of la Bretèche
Now private property, formerly fief of the Pomereu family for over two centuries. It was sold to King
seigniory
In English law, seignory or seigniory, spelled ''signiory'' in Early Modern English (; ; ), is the lordship (authority) remaining to a grantor after the grant of an estate in fee simple.
'' Nulle terre sans seigneur'' ("No land without a lord") ...
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 Merino is a list of sheep breeds, breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monop ...
. The farm was sold as public property during the French Revolution.
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 (city), Versailles about 15 km to the west of Paris. It is about 12 km lo ...
is an ancient oak forest formerly called the Forêt de Cruye. It covers one third of Saint-Nom.
Potentilla reptans
''Potentilla reptans'', known as the creeping cinquefoil, European cinquefoil or creeping tormentil, is a flowering plant in the family Rosaceae.
Description
A creeping perennial plant which can reach heights of up to 20 cm. Its trailing ...
'' () symbolize the Forest of
Marly-le-Roi
Marly-le-Roi () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the administrative region of ÃŽle-de-France, France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris.
Marly-le-Roi was the location of the Château de Marly, ...
, 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.
*
Yvon Le Roux
Yvon Le Roux (born 19 April 1960) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. He earned 28 international caps (one goal) for the France national team during the mid-1980s and was part of the team at the 1986 FIFA World ...
, footballer who resided in the commune while he played for
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain () or simply PSG, is a French professional Association football, football club based in Paris. They compete in Ligue 1, the French football league system, top d ...
*
Blaise Matuidi
Blaise Matuidi (born 9 April 1987) is a French former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He most notably played for Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus FC, Juventus, and the France nati ...
, footballer who resided in the commune while he played for Paris Saint-Germain
* Gaëtan Mourgue d'Algue, golfer who resided in the commune.
*
, sculptor, died in Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche in 2020.
Twin towns
Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche is twinned with
Valley Village
Valley Village is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, located within the San Fernando Valley.
History
Founding
According to Elke Garman, co-president of the Valley Village Homeowners Association in 1991, the history of Valley Village w ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
.
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
...
Feucherolles
Feucherolles () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the ÃŽle-de-France in north-central France.
Population
Twin towns
Along with Crespières, Chavenay and Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche Feucherolles is twinned with Rösrath, Germany.
See al ...
, 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 lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.
See also
*
Communes of the Yvelines department
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes o ...