Gentilly () is a commune in the southern suburbs of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is the closest commune to Paris, located from the city center.

Name

The name Gentilly was recorded for the first time in the 6th century as ''Gentilly'', a royal estate of some importance where coinage was minted. The etymology of the name seems to be "estate of Gentilius", a

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

landowner. However, some other researchers think that the name is connected with

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''gentilis'' (meaning " gentile", " pagan", "foreigner") in reference to foreign goldsmiths who may have settled in Gentilly in the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...

History

On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris was enlarged by annexing neighboring communes. On that occasion, about half of the commune of Gentilly was annexed to Paris, and forms now the neighborhoods of Maison-Blanche and Glacière, in the

13th arrondissement of Paris The 13th arrondissement of Paris (''XIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of Paris. In spoken French, the arrondissement is referred to as ''le treizième'' ("the thirteenth"). The arrondissement is ...

. On 13 December 1896, about half of the remaining territory of Gentilly was detached and became the commune of

Le Kremlin-Bicêtre Le Kremlin-Bicêtre () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. Le Kremlin-Bicêtre is most famous as the location of the Bicêtre ...

, leaving Gentilly with about a quarter of its pre-1860 area.

Culture

The photographer Robert Doisneau was born in Gentilly (14 April 1912). There is a '' Maison de la photographie Robert Doisneau'', an international cultural center for humanist photography.

Places of worship

There are two churches in Gentilly: the church of Saint-Saturnin, and the church of Sacré-Cœur de Gentilly. Saint-Saturnin welcomes all Christians, whereas the Sacré-Cœur de Gentilly is mainly a community for Portuguese Catholics.

Transport

Gentilly is served by Gentilly station on Paris RER line .

Population

Education

Gentilly is served by: *Four preschools: Jean Lurcat, Lamartine, Henri Barbusse, Victor Hugo, and Marie et Pierre Curie *Four elementary schools: Lamartine, Henri Barbusse, Victor Hugo, and Gustave Courbet *One junior high school: Collège Rosa Parks *Two senior high schools:Les lycées
" Commune of Gentilly. Retrieved on June 23, 2015. ** Lycée professionnel du Val-de-Bièvre ** Lycée intercommunal Darius Milhaud which is in

Notable residents

* St. Eligius, also known as ''Éloi de Noyon'' or ''Saint Éloi'' (c. 588 - 1 December 660) is the patron saint of goldsmiths, metalworkers, coin collectors, horses, and those who work with them. * Saint Martial, third-century monk and first bishop of

Limoges Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...

. *

Pepin the Short the Short (; ; ; – 24 September 768), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian dynasty, Carolingian to become king. Pepin was the son of the Frankish prince Charles Martel and his wife Rotrude of H ...

(Pépin le Bref), eighth-century king of the Franks, son of

Charles Martel Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...

, and father of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

. * Blanche of Castile (1188–1252) is said to have owned a castle in Gentilly, the remains of which, chiefly underground vaults, still exist. * Isaac de Benserade, author and playwright of the seventeenth century, lived in Gentilly and died there in 1691. * Jacques Chapelle chemist and potter, director of the pottery works at Sceaux from 1748 to 1763, was born at Gentilly in 1721. * Robert Doisneau, the photographer, was born at Gentilly in 1912. *

Sophie Marceau Sophie Marceau (; born Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu, 17 November 1966) is a French actress. As a teenager, she achieved popularity with her debut films ''La Boum'' (1980) and ''La Boum 2'' (1982), receiving a César Award for Most Promising Act ...

, the movie actress, born in 1966, lived in Gentilly. *

Raymond Raymond is a male given name of Germanic origin. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷ� ...

Gentilly. *

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gentilly, Val-De-Marne Communes of Val-de-Marne