Saint-Maur-des-Fossés
Template:Infobox French commune
Saint-Maur-des-Fossés (Template:IPA) is a commune in Val-de-Marne, the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France, Template:Convert from the centre of Paris.
History
Abbey
Saint-Maur-des-Fossés owes its name to Saint-Maur Abbey, founded in 638 by Queen Nanthild, regent for her son Clovis II, at a place called Fossati in Medieval Latin and Les Fossés in modern French, meaning "the moats". This place, located at the narrow entrance of a loop where the river Marne made its way round a rocky outcrop,<ref name="Saint-Maur au fil du temps">"Saint-Maur au fil du temps" Template:Webarchive</ref> was probably named after the moats of an ancient Celtic oppidum and later a Roman castrum; the site was known in medieval documents as Castrum Bagaudarum, at a time when the marauding Bagaudae had developed a legendary reputation as defenders of Christians against Roman persecution. Massive foundations, sited so far from a Roman frontier, were attributed by C. Jullian<ref>C. Jullian discussed the medieval reputation of Bagaudes and the archaeology of the Saint-Maur site in Revue des Études Anciennes 22 (1920:07-17), noted by Sidney J. Deane, "Archaeological Discussions", American Journal of Archaeology 25.2 (April 1921:195.)</ref> to a temple or a villa instead. In Merovingian times, Gallo-Roman villas in the royal fisc were repeatedly donated as sites for monasteries under royal patronage.
The abbey, dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Paul and the Virgin Mary, was called Sanctus Petrus Fossatensis in Medieval Latin (Saint Pierre des Fossés in French), meaning "Saint Peter of the Moats".Template:Citation needed It was founded by Blidegisil, archdeacon of Paris, in 638. One of the early abbots was Saint Babolen (died Template:Circa).<ref>Template:Citation</ref> In 868, King Charles the Bald invited the monks of the Abbey of Saint-Maur de Glanfeuil (in Le Thoureil, Maine-et-Loire, western France), who had fled their abbey due to Viking invasion, to relocate to Saint Pierre des Fossés with their precious relics of Saint Maurus.
Later in the Middle Ages, the relics of Saint Maurus became very famous as they were supposed to heal gout and epilepsy, and Saint Pierre des Fossés became one of the most famous pilgrimage centers of medieval France. The rededication to Saint Maurus, in which abbey was renamed Saint-Maur-des-Fossés ("Saint Maurus of the Moats"), was justified by the story that during a drought in 1137, prayers to the Virgin and Saints Peter and Paul having been ineffective, prayer to Saint Maur brought the needed rainfall.<ref>Virginia Wylie Egbert, "St. Nicholas: The Fasting Child" The Art Bulletin 46.1 (March 1964:69-70) p. 69 note 4.</ref>
Château
The abbey was secularised in 1535, and in 1541, the architect Philibert Delorme designed a château on the site for Cardinal Jean du Bellay, bishop of Paris, on four ranges of building around a square central court. Catherine de' Medici was a frequent visitor, preferring it to the château de Vincennes; in 1563 she acquired this "château du Bellay", and substantially rebuilt it. On September 23, 1568, her teenage son, King Charles IX, issued the Edict of Saint-Maur, which prohibited all religions but Catholicism. It prompted fierce religious intolerance in Paris and eventually led to the 1572, St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. Building projects at the site were only interrupted by Catherine's death (1589); the château was sold to the Condé family and was eventually completed, and furnished with extensive parterres, at the end of the seventeenth century.
The Château de Saint-Maur, still in the possession of the Condé family, was nationalised during the French Revolution, emptied of its contents, and its terrains divided up among real-estate speculators. The structure was demolished for the value of its materials; virtually nothing remains.
Village
The little settlement that grew around the abbey, known as Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, developed a market during the thirteenth century.<ref name="Saint-Maur au fil du temps"/> The present territory also includes a formerly distinct village, La Varenne-Saint-Hilaire, against the perimeter of the nearby game preserve of Saint-Hilaire, part of the abbey's domaines.
In 1791, part of the territory of Saint-Maur-des-Fossés was detached and became the commune of La Branche-du-Pont-de-Saint-Maur, later renamed Joinville-le-Pont.
After the abbey itself was abandoned, its church providing building materials in the town. During the French Revolution, Saint-Maur-des-Fossés was temporarily renamed Vivant-sur-Marne (meaning "Alive upon Marne") in a gesture of rejection of religion.
After the Revolution, the official name of the commune was simply Saint-Maur; it is only in 1897 that "des-Fossés" was re-added to the name, probably to conform to the historical name and also to distinguish Saint-Maur-des-Fossés from other communes of France also called Saint-Maur. In 1924, a few vestiges of the abbey were collected in the newly established Musée du vieux Saint-Maur. The Hôtel de Ville was completed in 1876, although the side pavilions were added later.<ref>Template:Base Mérimée</ref>
Notable residents
Philippe Diolé (1908 – 1977), diver, writer and explorer, was born in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés.<ref>Philippe Diolé, BNF official record</ref>
Roland Douce (1939–2018), plant biologist, was born in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés.
Fabien Giroix (born 17 September 1960 in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés) is a French racing driver.
Manu Katché (born 27 October 1958 in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés) is a French drummer and songwriter.
Vincenzo Peruggia (1881–1925), an Italian thief who stole the Mona Lisa on 21 August 1911, died in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés.<ref>Template:In lang Mio padre, il ladro della Gioconda</ref>
Laurent Pimond (born 6 April 1965 in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés) is a former French footballer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Germaine Tailleferre (1892–1983) was the only woman in the group of composers known as Les Six.<ref>Shapiro, Robert (2011). Les Six: the French composers and their mentors, Jean Cocteau and Erik Satie. London: Peter Owen. Template:ISBN.</ref>
Geography
Saint-Maur-des-Fossés is almost entirely surrounded by a loop of the river Marne.
Demographics
Population
Template:Historical populations
Immigration
Politics
Saint-Maur leans to the right in presidential elections, giving François Fillon 33% of its votes in the first round of the 2017 French presidential election.
| Election | Winning candidate | Party | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | 2022 | Emmanuel Macron | EM | 76.74 |
| style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | 2017 | Emmanuel Macron | EM | 82.56 |
| style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | 2012 | Nicolas Sarkozy | UMP | 59.76 |
| style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | 2007 | Nicolas Sarkozy | UMP | 64.66 |
| style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | 2002 | Jacques Chirac | RPR | 86.46 |
| style="background-color: Template:Party color" | | 1995 | Jacques Chirac | RPR | 66.90 |
Transport
Saint-Maur-des-Fossés is served by four stations on Paris RER line A: Saint-Maur – Créteil, Le Parc de Saint-Maur, Champigny, and La Varenne – Chennevières.
Saint-Maur-des-Fossés is also served by many buses, like the TVM (Trans-Val-de-Marne), where Saint-Maur-Créteil is one of the bus termini.
Education
There are 25 public preschools (écoles maternelles) and primary schools in the commune.<ref>"Enfance Template:Webarchive." Saint-Maur-des-Fossés. Retrieved on September 6, 2016.</ref>
Public junior high schools:
- Collège Le Parc<ref>Home Template:Webarchive. Collège Le Parc. Retrieved on September 6, 2016.</ref>
- Collège Rabelais<ref>Home. Collège Rabelais. Retrieved on September 6, 2016.</ref>
Public senior high schools:
- Template:Interlanguage link<ref>Home. Lycée Marcelin Berthelot. Retrieved on September 6, 2016.</ref>
- Lycée d'Arsonval
- Lycée Condorcet
Private schools:
- Ensemble scolaire Saint-André (preschool through junior high school)<ref>Home. Ensemble scolaire Saint-André. Retrieved on September 6, 2016.</ref>
- Ecole et collège Jeanne D'Arc<ref>Home. Ecole et collège Jeanne D'Arc. Retrieved on September 6, 2016.</ref>
- Template:Interlanguage link<ref>Home. Lycée Teilhard de Chardin. Retrieved on September 6, 2016.</ref>
Culture
Festivals
Saint-Maur-des-Fossés organizes an annual Short Subject Festival.
Film and literature
Saint-Maur-des-Fossés was the filming location for the old-Paris sections of the 1958 Academy Award winning film Mon Oncle by Jacques Tati.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A statue of Tati in character as Monsieur Hulot along with two other characters from the film is visible in the Commune at Place d'Arme.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Sport
US Lusitanos Saint-Maur was founded in 1966 by Portuguese immigrants who worked in a factory in the town. They play their games at the Stade Adolphe-Chéron.
Twin towns - sister cities
Template:See also Saint-Maur-des-Fossés is twinned with:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Div col
- Template:Flagicon Ramat HaSharon, Israel
- Template:Flagicon Bognor Regis, United Kingdom
- Template:Flagicon Rimini, Italy
- Template:Flagicon La Louvière, Belgium
- Template:Flagicon Ziguinchor, Senegal
- Template:Flagicon Hamelin, Germany
- Template:Flagicon Leiria, Portugal
- Template:Flagicon Pforzheim, Germany
See also
References
External links
- City Website Template:In lang
- Template:Cite EB1911
- Historical and Archaeological Association
- Site des conseillers municipaux de l'opposition (PS-PC)
Template:Paris Metropolitan Area Template:Val-de-Marne communes