Saint Lunaire

History

Evidence of neolithic settlement remains in the form of a stone path (dolmen) (2000–5000 BC) at Plate-Roche.

The Roman conquest had little impact on the ancient settlement of farmer-fishermen. Far greater changes occurred several centuries later, with the Saxons and Frisons invasions in the early sixth century. In 513, King Arthur landed on the island of Cézembre, just facing the coast, with the new King of Armorica, Hoël I. This new regime favoured the settlement of missionaries from Cornwall, and in particular one of King Hoël's sons, Saint Lunarius (or Léonor), together with Saint Pompeius (or Coupaia), Saint Tugdual's brother, or Saint Sève and numerous monks and secular priests, who started clearing the local forest of Ponthul and erected a first chapel on the location of the present "Old Church".

According to one story, the local bishop granted a bell to St Lunarius and, with it, authority over all the hamlets lying within the sound of the bell. This area roughly corresponds to the old feudal lordship of Ponthual and, later, the municipality of Saint-Lunaire. The legend states that the inhabitants of a hamlet on the eastern edge of this area tried to maintain their independence by denying that they had heard the bell. This might explain the origins of the name of the suburb of "La Fourberie" ('Deceit' or 'Cunning'), next to Dinard.

Saint-Léonor thus became the main borough of the lordship of Ponthual, surrounded by various dependent hamlets. During the eleventh century, the family of Ponthual built the Old Church ("la Vieille Eglise"), which is one of the relatively rare romanesque churches of Brittany.

The town's name changed to "Saint-Léonaire de Ponthual" at the end of the seventeenth century and then to "Saint-Lunaire de Ponthual".

In February 1790, the revolutionary authorities established the first modern municipality with the name of "Port-Lunaire". This name lasted until 1803 when it was definitively changed to "Saint-Lunaire". The town slowly expanded during the first half of the 19th century. When Victor Hugo visited the area with Juliette Drouet, he might well have visited the little fishing port whilst preparing his novel on local fishermen, Toilers of the Sea(1866) - in which a murder is committed at the end of Saint-Lunaire's Decolle promontory.

Saint-Lunaire had changed radically by the end of the twentieth century. The local population grew with the development of Saint-Malo's fishing industry, particularly in the waters off Newfoundland. A model ship hanging from the ceiling of the new church serves as a reminder of Saint-Lunaire's many sailors. The local economy was later boosted by the development of the town as a fashionable sea resort.

Following the creation of Dinard in the 1860s, a couple of holiday houses were built along the Decollé promontory, starting with "La Trinité" by an Italian artist or one of several built by Baron de Kerpezdron.

Speculators later erected the sea front on the main beach and the Grand Hotel with its casino. Many private houses and luxury hotels were constructed around the turn of the century. This period was Saint-Lunaire's heyday, when many celebrities, artists and intellectuals came to visit.

Saint-Lunaire never quite recovered its former standing after the Second World War, but Saint-Lunaire and its neighbour Saint-Briac-sur-Mer are still considered to be two of Brittany's most elegant resorts.

Two historical monuments are registered in Saint-Lunaire:

International relations

Saint-Lunaire is twinned with:

Population

Inhabitants of Saint-Lunaire are called lunairiens in French.