St Germainen Laye

St. Germain-en~Laye, a French town in the department of Seine-et-Oise, 10 miles W.N.W. of Paris. The royal castle, rebuilt by Francis I., was the chief residence of the French kings prior to the reign of Louis XIV., when the court was established at Versailles. James II. resided here after his flight from England. After being used as a barracks and a military prison, the pnlace was converted by Napoleon III. into a museum for Celtic antiquities. The forest of St. Germain covers about 10,000 acres.