Le Mée-sur-Seine (, literally ''Le Mée on

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

'') is a commune in the

Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the Île-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...

department in the

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in north-central

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 ...

, next to

Melun Melun () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region, north-central France. It is located on the southeastern outskirts of Paris, about from the centre of the capital. Melun is the prefecture of Seine-et-Marne, ...

. It is located in the south-eastern 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 ...

from the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

Geography

The town is located on the right side of the

on a limestone plateau.

History

* B.C.: the Sénons (Gaul tribe) may have lived here. * 13th century: Le Mée-sur-Seine is mentioned for the first time by "Mas" in 1253. "Mas" is an old French term for farm. * 15th century: castle of "Marchémarais" * September, 30th, 1833: birth of Henri Chapu, a famous sculptor. * 1889: construction of the "Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativité". * 1845: first railway. * 1938: Originally called simply "Le Mée", the name of the commune became officially "Le Mée-sur-Seine" (meaning "Le Mée upon

") * 1944: Liberation of the town by allied troops who crossed the Seine using a float-bridge (the only bridge had been destroyed by the Germans). * 1970-1971: construction of the main road to

(''la pénétrante''). * 1979: opening of the new rail station. The town grew quickly after World War II, and it is now divided in four districts: Le Mée Village, Plein Ciel, Croix Blanche, Les Courtilleraies.

Demographics

Inhabitants are called ''Méens''.

Education

There are 11 infant schools, 8 grade schools, 2 secondary schools and 1 high school.

Culture

* "Le Mas": library and auditorium. * "Espace Cordier": Youth House for Culture.

Religions

* "Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativité" ("Village" District), built from 1889 to 1893, is on the location of the previous church (built in 1771). * chapel "Sainte-Croix" ("Croix-Blanche" District)

Economy

* Unemployment rate (1999): 12.8% * Private income (2004): €15,136/year

Transport

Le Mée-sur-Seine is served by the station of the same name on Paris's RER line , approximately 45 minutes from the centre of Paris. Local bus network: Bus TRAM: lines B, F, J, J1, M.

People

* Jacques Philippe Avice (1759–1835), general, and also tile maker around 1820.Michel Dauvergne et François Lethève, ''Le Mée-sur-Seine et son histoire'', Ville du Mée-sur-Seine, 1994, p. 101 *

François-Joseph Talma François Joseph Talma (15 January 1763 – 19 October 1826) was a French actor. Life He was born in Paris. His father, a dentist, moved to London, and saw that his son received a good English education. François Joseph returned to Paris, whe ...

(1763–1826), actor, he was also co-owner of the tile manufactory. *

Mademoiselle Mars Mademoiselle Mars (pseudonym of Anne Françoise Hyppolyte Boutet Salvetat; 9 February 1779 – 20 March 1847), French actress, was born in Paris, the natural daughter of the actor-author named Monvel (Jacques Marie Boutet) (1745–1812) and Jean ...

(1779–1847), actress, she was also co-owner of the tile manufactory. *

Charles-Tristan de Montholon Charles Tristan, Marquis de Montholon (; 21 July 1783 – 21 August 1853) was a French general during the Napoleonic Wars. He chose to go into exile on Saint Helena with the ex-emperor after Napoleon's second abdication. Early life and career Mon ...

(1782–1853), general and politician, he was also co-owner of the tile manufactory. *

Grigore Alexandru Ghica Grigore Alexandru Ghica or Ghika (1803 or 1807 – 24 August 1857) was a Prince of Moldavia between 14 October 1849, and June 1853, and again between 30 October 1854, and 3 June 1856. His wife was Helena, a member of the Sturdza family and da ...

(1807–1857), prince of Moldavia (1849–1853 and 1854–1856) committed suicide in Le Mée on August 24, 1857. His wife and five other relatives are interred close to him in a memorial in the town cemetery. Close to this memorial, four other members of the family (including Nicolas Jean Ghika (1849–1873), killed during a duel at

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...

) are interred. * Henri Chapu, famous sculptor, was born in "Le Mée" on 30 September 1833. He was interred on 24 April 1891. * Firmin-Girard (1838–1921), painter. He has been interred close to Henri Chapu. *

Henri-Auguste Patey Henri Auguste Jules Patey (9 September 1855, Paris – 17 May 1930, Paris) was a French sculptor, medallist and coin engraver. Life Patey studied sculpture with Henri Chapu and engraving and medal making with Jules-Clément Chaplain. He was admitt ...

(1855–1930), sculptor, student of Henri Chapu. *

Gaston Carraud Gaston Carraud (20 July 1864 – 15 June 1920) was a French composer and music critic. Life Born at Le Mée-sur-Seine, Carraud was the son of Ivan Carraud (1826–1881), general inspector of water and forests, general adviser of the Cher, and of Z ...

(1864–1920), songwriter, student of

Jules Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are ''Manon'' (1884 ...

, was born in "Le Mée" on 20 July 1864. *

Renée Saint-Cyr Renée Saint-Cyr (; 16 November 1904 – 11 July 2004) was a French actress. Born Marie-Louise Catherine Eugénie Renée Vittore, she appeared in more than 60 films between 1933 and 1994. She was the mother of Georges Lautner, who also achie ...

(1904–2004), actress, lived in a big 18th century house in "Le Mée".Michel Dauvergne et François Lethève, ''Le Mée-sur-Seine et son histoire'', Ville du Mée-sur-Seine, 1994, pp. 220-221. *

Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld also called Kaiser Karl (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, photographer, and creative director. Lagerfeld began his career in fashion in the 1950s, working for several top fashion hous ...

(1933-2019), designer * Caroline de Monaco and Ernest-Auguste de Hanovre own the house previously occupied by

. *

Nina Roberts Nina Roberts is a French porn star, actress, author and contemporary artist (video and photo). Biography Roberts grew up in Créteil, near Paris. A single mother at the age of twenty, she answered an ad to appear in a porn film in order to rai ...

(1979-), ex-porn star *

Willy Denzey William Thongrasamy (born 19 August 1982), known under the pseudonym Willy Denzey, is a French-born contemporary R&B and soul singer of Laotian origin. Biography Denzey was born as William Thongrasamy in Melun, France, and spent his childhoo ...

(1982-) singer

References

External links

Official website

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Meesurseine Communes of Seine-et-Marne