Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a

commune 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 of ...

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 in the

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...

in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Saint-Germanois'' or ''Saint-Germinois''. With its elegant tree-lined streets it is one of the more affluent suburbs of Paris, combining both high-end leisure spots and exclusive residential neighborhoods (see

the Golden Triangle of the Yvelines The Golden Triangle of the Yvelines is an expression used to refer to the Yvelines area of France that includes suburban Chatou, Croissy-sur-Seine, and Le Vésinet, due to the number of wealthy residents, which include many state leaders, CEOs, an ...

). Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a sub-prefecture of the department. Because it includes the National Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, it covers approximately , making it the largest commune in the Yvelines. It occupies a large loop of the Seine. Saint-Germain-en-Laye lies at one of the western termini of Line A of the RER.

History

Saint-Germain-en-Laye - Église Saint-Germain001

Saint-Germain-en-Laye was founded in 1020 when King

Robert the Pious Robert II (c. 972 – 20 July 1031), called the Pious (french: link=no, le Pieux) or the Wise (french: link=no, le Sage), was King of the Franks from 996 to 1031, the second from the Capetian dynasty. Crowned Junior King in 987, he assisted h ...

(ruled 996–1031) founded a

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...

on the site of the present Church of Saint-Germain. In 1688,

James II of England James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

exiled himself to the city after being deposed from the throne in what has become known as the Glorious Revolution. He spent the remainder of his days there, and died on 16 September 1701. Prior to 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 coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

in 1789, it had been a royal town and the Château de Saint-Germain the residence of numerous French monarchs. The old

château A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Now ...

was constructed in 1348 by King Charles V on the foundations of an old castle (''château-fort'') dating from 1238 in the time of Saint Louis. Francis I was responsible for its subsequent restoration. In 1862,

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

set up the '' Musée des Antiquités Nationales'' in the erstwhile royal château. This museum has exhibits ranging from Paleolithic to Celtic times. The " Dame de Brassempouy" sculpted on a mammoth's ivory tusk around 23,000 years ago is the most famous exhibit in the museum. Kings Henry IV and

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

left their mark on the town.

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 Ver ...

was born in the château (the city's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

consequently shows a cradle and the date of his birth), and established Saint-Germain-en-Laye as his principal residence from 1661 to 1681. Louis XIV turned over the château to James VII & II of Scotland and England after his exile from Britain after the Glorious Revolution in 1688. James lived in the Château for 13 years, and his daughter

Louisa Maria Stuart Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart (french: link=no, Louise Marie Thérèse; 28 June 1692 – 18 April 1712), known to Jacobitism, Jacobites as The Princess Royal, was the last child of James II and VII, the deposed king of England, List of Scottish monar ...

was born in exile here in 1692. James II is buried in the parish church. Saint-Germain-en-Laye is famous for its long stone terrace built by André Le Nôtre from 1669 to 1673. The terrace provides a view over the valley of the Seine and, in the distance, Paris. During the

, the name was changed along with many other places whose names held connotations of religion or royalty. Temporarily, Saint-Germain-en-Laye became Montagne-du-Bon-Air. During his

reign A reign is the period of a person's or dynasty's occupation of the office of monarch of a nation (e.g., Saudi Arabia, List of Belgian monarchs, Belgium, Co-prince of Andorra, Andorra), of a people (e.g., List of Frankish kings, the Franks, List of ...

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

established his cavalry officers training school in the Château-Vieux. Bunker-St-germain-en-laye-009

The

Treaty of Saint-Germain A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal pers ...

was signed in 1919 and was applied on 16 July 1920. The treaty officially registered the breakup of the Habsburg empire, which recognized the independence of Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, and the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (Yugoslavia). During the occupation from 1940 to 1944, the town was the headquarters of the German Army. On 1 January 2019, the former commune Fourqueux was merged into Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

Saint-Germain parish church

The parish church, which is dedicated to

Germain of Paris Germain ( la, Germanus; 496 – 28 May 576) was the bishop of Paris and is venerated as a saint in both the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. According to an early biography, he was known as Germain d'Autun, rendered in modern ti ...

, was originally constructed in the eleventh century, and the present building (the fourth on the site) was built in the 1820s in a

Neoclassical style Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing sty ...

, with six

Tuscan column The Tuscan order (Latin ''Ordo Tuscanicus'' or ''Ordo Tuscanus'', with the meaning of Etruscan order) is one of the two classical orders developed by the Romans, the other being the composite order. It is influenced by the Doric order, but with ...

s supporting a

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

on the main façade. The church houses the mausoleum of

and was visited by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

in 1855. The organ, originally installed in 1698, was rebuilt by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll in the nineteenth century and refurbished in 1903. The church's organists have included Albert Renaud (1891–1924),

Albert Alain Albert Paul Alain (1 March 1880 – 15 October 1971) was a 20th-century French organist and composer. Biography Born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye to Clarisse-Alphonsine Fouquet (born 1859) and Paul François Alain (born 1851), he entered in adult ...

(1924–1971) and

Marie-Claire Alain Marie-Claire Geneviève Alain-Gommier (10 August 1926 – 26 February 2013) was a French organist, scholar and teacher best known for her prolific recording career, with 260 recordings, making her the most-recorded classical organist in the world ...

(1971–2010).

Population

The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye proper, in its geography at the given years. The population of Fourqueux, absorbed in 2019, is not included.

Transport

Saint-Germain-en-Laye is connected to other communes by the Résalys bus network operated by

Transdev Transdev, formerly Veolia Transdev, is a French-based international private-sector company which operates public transport. It has operations in 17 countries and territories as of November 2020. History The group was formed by the merger of ...

Montesson-les-Rabeaux. Saint-Germain-en-Laye is served by Saint-Germain-en-Laye station on Paris RER line A. It is also served by two stations on the

Transilien Paris-Saint-Lazare Transilien Paris-Saint-Lazare is one of the sectors in the Paris Transilien suburban rail network. The trains on this sector depart from Gare Saint-Lazare in central Paris and serve the north and north-west of Île-de-France region with Transilien ...

suburban rail line: Saint-Germain-Bel-Air–Fourqueux and Saint-Germain–Grande Ceinture. Saint-Germain-en-Laye is also served by Achères–Grand-Cormier station on Paris RER line A and on the Transilien Paris – Saint-Lazare suburban rail line. This station is located in the middle of the

Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye The Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye or ''Forêt de Saint-Germain-en-Laye'', is a dominial forest of 35 km2 in area which lies in a meander of the River Seine, France. Situated 20 km West of Paris, between Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Maison ...

, far from the urbanized part of the commune.

Sport

Football

Saint-Germain-en-Laye has a proud footballing history. From 1904 to 1970, it was represented by Stade Saint-Germain, but following a 1970 merger with

Paris FC Paris Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris FC or simply PFC, is a French professional football club based in Paris, that competes in the Ligue 2, the second tier of French football. Paris FC play their home matches at the Stade C ...

, became

Paris Saint-Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...

(PSG). PSG is a top-flight football team that is the most successful team in France in terms of trophies.

Sporting facilities

There is one main sporting facility in Saint-Germain-en-Laye: the Stade Municipal Georges Lefèvre. It covers over 12 hectares and contains: – 5 football pitches – 3 stands – 1 athletic track – 22 tennis courts – 1 clubhouse – 1 multibeach terrain

Economy

Capcom Entertainment France, a Capcom subsidiary, has its head office in Saint-Germain-en-Laye.Contact
" Capcom. Retrieved 12 August 2011. "France: Capcom Entertainment France 30 bis, rue du Viel Abreuvoir FR.78100 Saint Germain En Laye" Slottet vid Lycée International de St-Germain-en-Laye

Slottet vid Lycée International de St-Germain-en-Laye

Education

the schools in this commune had 20,581 students, with 7,300 of them living in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. There is a high ratio of overall students to town inhabitants. The municipal nursery and primary schools have 3,549 students. 1,026 students attend private schools in the commune. 522 students attend the Lycée International de Saint Germain-en-Laye nursery and primary divisions.Children > Presentation
" Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Retrieved 1 September 2016.

Schools

the municipality operates ten nursery schools and nine primary schools. The Lycée International de Saint Germain-en-Laye, a public school, consistently ranks among France's top schools and is considered to be the country's best public international school. It includes 14 different language sections, including one for Japanese students, and the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) lists that program in its group of European '' hoshuko'' (part-time Japanese educational programmes).欧州の補習授業校一覧（平成25年4月15日現在）

. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Retrieved 10 May 2014. Other public high schools: * Lycée Jeanne-d'Albret * Lycée technologique Léonard-de-Vinci * Lycée technologique Jean-Baptiste-Poquelin * Private schools include: * Collège et Lycée Notre-Dame * The Institut d'études politiques de Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Collège Marcel Roby are located in the city.

Libraries

There are two libraries: * Bibliothèque multimédia * Bibliothèque George-Sand

In art

File:Alfred Sisley - The Terrace at Saint-Germain, Spring - Walters 37992.jpg, ''The Terrace at Saint-Germain, Spring'', 1875 by

Alfred Sisley Alfred Sisley (; ; 30 October 1839 – 29 January 1899) was an Impressionist landscape painter who was born and spent most of his life in France, but retained British citizenship. He was the most consistent of the Impressionists in his dedicatio ...

The Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum, located in Mount Vernon-Belvedere, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is a public art museum founded and opened in 1934. It holds collections established during the mid-19th century. The museum's collection was amassed ...

Hospital

Centre hospitalier intercommunal de Poissy-Saint-Germain-en-Laye The Centre hospitalier intercommunal de Poissy-Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a celebrated teaching hospital in Poissy and Saint Germain en Laye. Part of the Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris and a teaching hospital of Versailles Saint-Que ...

Notable people

Saint-Germain-en-Laye was the birthplace of:

Nobility

* Henry II (1519–1559), King of France * Marie of France (1344–1404), Duchess of Bar *

Jeanne d'Albret Jeanne d'Albret ( Basque: ''Joana Albretekoa''; Occitan: ''Joana de Labrit''; 16 November 1528 – 9 June 1572), also known as Jeanne III, was Queen of Navarre from 1555 to 1572. Jeanne was the daughter of Henry II of Navarre and Margar ...

(1528–1572),

Queen Regnant A queen regnant (plural: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank and title to a king, who reigns '' suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a "kingdom"; as opposed to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigni ...

of Navarre * Charles IX (1550–1574), King of France *

Louis de Buade de Frontenac Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac et de Palluau (; 22 May 162228 November 1698) was a French soldier, courtier, and Governor General of New France in North America from 1672 to 1682, and again from 1689 to his death in 1698. He established a num ...

(1622–1698), French courtier and

Governor of New France The governor of New France was the viceroy of the King of France in North America. A French nobleman, he was appointed to govern the colonies of New France, which included Canada, Acadia and Louisiana. The residence of the Governor was at the Chate ...

(1638–1715), King of France *

Philippe I, Duke of Orléans ''Monsieur'' Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (21 September 1640 – 9 June 1701), was the younger son of King Louis XIII of France and his wife, Anne of Austria. His elder brother was the "Sun King", Louis XIV. Styled Duke of Anjou from bir ...

, (1640–1701), younger brother of Louis XIV * Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart (1692–1712), daughter of

, known to Jacobites as the Princess Royal * Charles O'Gara (1699–1777), a courtier and official of the Holy Roman Empire of Jacobite Irish descent

Musicians

* Albert Renaud (1855–1924), organist * Claude Debussy (1862–1918), composer *

(1880–1971), composer and organist *

Jehan Alain Jehan-Aristide Paul Alain (; 3 February 1911 – 20 June 1940) was a French organist, composer, and soldier. Born into a family of musicians, he learned the organ from his father and a host of other teachers, becoming a composer at 18, and compo ...

(1911–1940), composer *

(1926–2013), organist and organ teacher * Benoît Delbecq (born 1966), jazz pianist and composer

Sports

* Mohamed Haddadou (born 1974), footballer *

Amélie Mauresmo Amélie Simone Mauresmo (; born 5 July 1979) is a French former world No. 1 tennis player and tournament director. Mauresmo won two major singles titles at the 2006 Australian Open and Wimbledon Championships, and also won the silver medal in s ...

(born 1979),

tennis player Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cove ...

* Ismael Gace (born 1986), footballer * Christopher Oualembo (born 1987), footballer *

Jonathan Eysseric Jonathan Eysseric (born 27 May 1990) is a French professional tennis player. Tennis career Juniors In 2007, he was the junior finalist at the 2007 Australian Open. At the 2007 French Open, he competed in the men's and juniors singles draws. In me ...

(born 1990),

* Frédéric Vieillot (born 1990), footballer *

Caroline Garcia Caroline Garcia (, born 16 October 1993) is a French professional tennis player. She has been ranked in the top 5 in both singles at world No. 4 and in doubles at world No. 2. Garcia is the 2022 WTA Finals singles champion. She is also a two- ...

(born 1991),

* Rashad Muhammed (born 1993), footballer *

Gabriel Aubry Gabriel Aubry (born August 30, 1976)Date of birth formerly given as January 4, 1976. is a Canadian model. Early life Born in Montreal, Quebec, to French-Canadian parents, Aubry is one of nine siblings. Modeling career He has modeled for Tommy ...

(born 1998), racing driver

Other

* John Patrick O'Gara (born 1692), a soldier in the Spanish Army of Jacobite Irish descent * Charles Gautier de Vinfrais (1704–1797), hunter and encyclopédiste * Louis-Michel Letort de Lorville (1773–1815), French general of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

Jean Albert Gaudry Jean Albert Gaudry (16 September 1827 – 27 November 1908) was a French geologist and palaeontologist. He was born at St Germain-en-Laye, and was educated at the Catholic Collège Stanislas de Paris. He was a notable proponent of theistic evo ...

(1827–1908), geologist and palaeontologist *

Salomon Reinach Salomon Reinach (29 August 1858 – 4 November 1932) was a French archaeologist, religious historian and was a major figure in the Franco-Jewish establishment in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was vice president of the mo ...

(1858–1932), archaeologist *

Jaque Catelain Jaque Catelain (9 February 1897 – 5 March 1965) was a French actor who came to prominence in silent films of the 1920s, and who continued acting in films and on stage until the 1950s. He also wrote and directed two silent films himself, and he ...

(1897–1965), actor * Jacques Fesch (1930–1957),

Christian mystic Christian mysticism is the tradition of mystical practices and mystical theology within Christianity which "concerns the preparation f the personfor, the consciousness of, and the effect of ..a direct and transformative presence of God" ...

* Jean-Jacques Lafaye (born 1958), writer, essayist * Albert Dupontel (born 1964), actor * Emmanuelle Polack (born 1965), art historian * Christian de Boisredon (born 1974), social entrepreneur * Mélanie Thierry (born 1981), French actress * Marion Maréchal-Le Pen (born 1989), French politician The town is also associated with: *

, king who lived there in exile and is buried there * Charles-Hippolyte de Paravey, French engineer who died in the city *

Gérard de Nerval Gérard de Nerval (; 22 May 1808 – 26 January 1855) was the pen name of the French writer, poet, and translator Gérard Labrunie, a major figure of French romanticism, best known for his novellas and poems, especially the collection '' Les ...

(1808–1855), poet, who lived there during part of his childhood and adolescence *

Gabriel de Mortillet Louis Laurent Gabriel de Mortillet (29 August 1821 – 25 September 1898), French archaeologist and anthropologist, was born at Meylan, Isère. Biography Mortillet was educated at the Jesuit college of Chambéry and at the Paris Conservat ...

(1821-1898) French archeologist and anthropologist, mayor of the town in 1882-1888 * Pierre de Porcaro (1904–1945), priest and prisoner-of-war during the Second World War

Twin towns - sister cities

Saint-Germain-en-Laye is twinned with: *

Aschaffenburg Aschaffenburg (; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Aschebersch'') is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not part of the Aschaffenburg (district), district of Aschaffenburg, but is its administrative sea ...

, Germany, since 1975 * Schwelm, Germany *

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Subdivisions of Scotland, council area and the historic Shires of Scotlan ...

, South Ayrshire, Scotland, since 1984 *

Winchester, Massachusetts Winchester is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, located 8.2 miles (13.2 km) north of downtown Boston as part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. It is also one of the wealthiest municipalities in Massachusetts. The population ...

, United States, since 1990 * Konstancin-Jeziorna, Poland, since 1992

References

External links

Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Saint-Germain-en-Laye
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saintgermainenlaye Communes of Yvelines Cities in Île-de-France Subprefectures in France 1020 establishments in Europe 1020s establishments in France Populated places established in the 11th century