Milly-la-Forêt () is a commune in the

Essonne Essonne () is a department of France in the southern Île-de-France region. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659 across 194 communes.department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the

Île-de-France , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 = +01:00 , timezone1_DST = CEST , utc_offset1_DST = +02:00 , blank_name_sec1 = Gross regional product , blank_info_sec1 = Ranked 1st , bla ...

region in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Geology

The

Forest of Fontainebleau The forest of Fontainebleau (french: Forêt de Fontainebleau, or ''Forêt de Bière'', meaning "forest of heather") is a mixed deciduous forest lying southeast of Paris, France. It is located primarily in the arrondissement of Fontainebleau i ...

, in the western end of which Milly-la-Forêt lies, is composed of the

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...

Fontainebleau sands, which are a marine deposit, laid down in an intertidal zone.

History

Milly-la-Forêt is the probable birthplace of

Wulfram of Sens Saint Wulfram of Sens or Saint Wulfram of Fontenelle (also Vuilfran, Wulfrann, Wolfran; la, Wulframnus; french: Vulfran or ''Vulphran''; c. 640 – 20 March 703) was the Archbishop of Sens. His life was recorded eleven years after he died by t ...

, Saint Wulfram; in about 640.

Origin of the place name

The first name of this domaine was called Maurillac in Gaul, Mauriliaco on a Merovingien coin, became Maureliacum, Melliacum in 667, Milliacum in Latin. The place name Milly is relatively current; it refers to an antic presence of a villa rustica owned during the Gallo-Romaine era by a certain Milius or Emilius. Hereby, the name was imported in 1080 by the knight Adam de Milly, originally from Milly-en-Beauvaisis and first lord of the place. But a charter dated from 651 mentioned already the name Melliacus. In the 13th century more accuracy was added to the place, Miliacum in Gastineto in 1267, which gave the name Milly-en-Gâtinais without being official. Upon a request from the municipal council and by a statutory order from 6 February 1948, the name was replaced by Milly-la-Forêt, considered at that time as the most touristic place and to differentiate it from its homonym Milly in Normandy.

The village

Milly contains several facilities: such as the Collège Jean Rostand, the Conservatoire des Deux Vallées, a gymnasium and sports ground complex, a multimedia library, a swimming pool, a bus station, dealers in craft products and so on. There is a market every Thursday in the very impressive late medieval market hall, built in 1479. The yearly calendar includes attic-clearing sales; at the opening of the summer holiday period, the town celebrates ''la Saint-Pierre'', a fair is organised and there are several fairground rides and other attractions, as well as cultural stands for the sale of specialist food and craft products.

Economy

* Milly produces many culinary and medicinal herbs. The firm of

Daregal DARÉGAL is a French company producing culinary herbs. In 1887 Amand Darbonne founded the bases for DARÉGAL in Milly-la-Forêt, the birthplace of aromatic and medicinal plants. This forerunner capitalized on the region's know-how, setting out to ...

is a world leader and began in 1887 under the leadership of the Darbonne family who still run the enterprise. * The

Conservatoire National des Plantes à Parfum, Médicinales, Aromatiques et Industrielles The Conservatoire National des Plantes à Parfum, Médicinales, Aromatiques et Industrielles (4 hectares), formerly known as the ''Conservatoire National des Plantes Médicinales Aromatiques et Industrielles'' (CNPMAI), is a nonprofit botanical gard ...

is a botanical garden situated in a former farm.

Culture

Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Christian Dior SE, which is now owned by parent company LVMH. His fashion houses a ...

and

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the su ...

have made their homes here. Cocteau died in 1963.
Towards the end of the 1950s Jean Cocteau decorated the chapelle Saint-Blaise, which dates from the twelfth century. His theme was those medicinal and culinary herbs on which the renown of Milly rests. He is now buried in the chapel. * ''Le Cyclop'', a monumental sculpture in the forest of Milly-la-Forêt, constructed by Jean Tinguely in collaboration with

Niki de Saint Phalle Niki de Saint Phalle (; born Catherine Marie-Agnès Fal de Saint Phalle; 29 October 193021 May 2002) was a French-American sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author of colorful hand-illustrated books. Widely noted as one of the few female monume ...

* the 15th century covered market

Twin towns

Milly-la-Forêt is twinned with the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

town of

Morsbach Morsbach is a municipality in Oberbergischer Kreis, a district in North Rhine-Westphalia near the border of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany. In 2015, Morsbach's population was 10,600. The central village, also named Morsbach, has a population of ...

, situated in the valley of the Sieg to the east of Cologne and with Forest Row in

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Famous people

Many popular characters are born, died or lived in Milly-la-Forêt: * Dagobert I (v.602–638 or 639), King of the Francs was sacred at Milly. *

(647–703), archbishop of Sens and Saint was born there. *

Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the d ...

(1214–1270), King of France lived there *

Hugues II de Bouville Hugues III de Bouville (1275–1331) was the chamberlain of Philip IV of France. Biography The son of Hugues II de Bouville (d. 1304) and Marie de Chambly, he is the brother of John IV de Bouville. His father Hugues II was also chamberlain and sec ...

(1240–1304), chamberlain of

Philip the Fair Philip IV (April–June 1268 – 29 November 1314), called Philip the Fair (french: Philippe le Bel), was King of France from 1285 to 1314. By virtue of his marriage with Joan I of Navarre, he was also King of Navarre as Philip I from 1 ...

and lord of Bouville. *

Hugues III de Bouville Hugues III de Bouville (1275–1331) was the chamberlain of Philip IV of France. Biography The son of Hugues II de Bouville (d. 1304) and Marie de Chambly, he is the brother of John IV de Bouville. His father Hugues II was also chamberlain and sec ...

(1275–1331), his son, chamberlain of Philip the Fair who owned the castle. *

Olivier V de Clisson Olivier V de Clisson (23 April 1336 – 23 April 1407), nicknamed "The Butcher", was a Breton soldier, the son of Olivier IV de Clisson. His father had been put to death by the French in 1343 on the suspicion of having willingly given up the c ...

(1336–1407), owner of the castle of Milly. * Charles VI (1368–1422), King of France lived there. * Louis XI (1423–1483), King of France lived there. * Henri IV (1553–1610), King of France lived there. *

Jacques Nicolas Bellavène Jacques Nicolas Bellavène (20 October 1770, in Verdun – 8 February 1826, in Milly) was a French general. His name is engraved on the east side of the Arc de triomphe. Life He entered the French army as a private in the 2nd Cavalry Regime ...

(1770–1826), General of division he did there. *

Napoléon Bonaparte 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 ...

(1769–1821), Emperor of French lived there. *

(1889–1963), poet and graphist he lived and died there. *

(1905–1957), dressmaker, he lived there. *

Jean Marais Jean-Alfred Villain-Marais (11 December 1913 – 8 November 1998), known professionally as Jean Marais (), was a French actor, film director, theatre director, painter, sculptor, visual artist, writer and photographer. He performed in over 100 f ...

(1913–1998), actor, he lived there. * Jean Tinguely (1925–1991), artist, worked there. * Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio (1940– ), writer and awarded from the

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

, lived there.

References

*Dercourt, J. ''Géologie et Géodynamique de la France Outre-mer et Européenne'' 3rd edition (2002) *Anon ''Carte géologique de la France à l'échelle du millionème'' 6th edition (2003)

External links

All these links are in French (except for the second link which offers English, Spanish, German and French).
Milly-la-Forêt official websiteThe CyclopPictures of the townMilly 1900 (postcards & text)
*
Mayors of Essonne Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Millylaforet Communes of Essonne