Étampes

Étampes
Saint Martin Saint Martin
Coat of arms of Étampes Coat of arms
Étampes
Location within Île-de-France region Étampes
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Île-de-France
Department	Essonne
Arrondissement	Étampes
Intercommunality	Étampois
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Franck Marlin
Area1	40.92 km2 (15.80 sq mi)
Population (2006)2	22,679
• Density	550/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	91223 / 91150
Elevation	66–156 m (217–512 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Étampes is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located 48.1 km (29.9 mi) south-southwest from the center of Paris (as the crow flies). Étampes is a sub-prefecture of the Essonne department.

Étampes, together with the neighboring communes of Morigny-Champigny and Brières-les-Scellés, form an urban area of 26,604 inhabitants (1999 census). This urban area is a "satellite city" of Paris.

History

Étampes (Latin: Stampae) existed at the beginning of the 7th century and in the early Middle Ages belonged to the crown domain. During the Middle Ages it was the scene of several councils, the most notable of which took place in 1130 and resulted in the recognition of Innocent II as the legitimate pope. In 1652, during the war of the Fronde it suffered severely at the hands of the royal troops under Turenne.

Geography

Étampes lies on the beautiful river Chalouette, a tributary of the Juine, which borders the eastern outskirts of the serene town.

Inhabitants of Étampes are known as Étampois.

Transport

Étampes is served by two stations on Paris RER line C: Étampes and Saint-Martin d'Étampes.

Sights

A fine view of Étampes is obtained from the Tour Guinette, a keep (now ruined) built by Louis VI in the 12th century on an eminence on the other side of the railway. Notre-Dame du Fort, the chief church, dates from the 11th and 12th centuries; irregular in plan, it is remarkable for a fine Romanesque tower and spire, and for the crenellated wall which partly surrounds it. The interior contains ancient paintings and other artistic works. St Basile (12th and 16th centuries), which preserves a Romanesque doorway, and St Martin (12th and 13th centuries), with a leaning tower of the 16th century, are of less importance.

The civil buildings offer little interest, but two houses named after Anne de Pisseleu, mistress of Francis I, and Diane de Poitiers, mistress of Henry II, are graceful examples of Renaissance architecture. In the square there is a statue of the naturalist, Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, who was born in Étampes.

Monuments and tourist attractions

• 

  La Tour Guinette-the remains of Château d'Étampes

• 

  L'Hôtel de Ville

• France Essonne Etampes Hotel de Ville 01.jpg

  L'Hôtel de Ville

• Hôtel Anne-de-Pisseleu
• Théâtre buily by the architect Gabriel Davioud in 1851-1852, paid for by a public subscription
• Regional leisure park (wave pool)
• Sculptures created by André Deluol : Vénus anadyomène, La Terre, Le Corbeau et le Renard, Jeune fille et oiseau, Un Ange, Deux danseuses nues

Religious edifices

• Église Notre Dame du Fort

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Notre-Dame-du-Fort 01.jpg

  Église Notre-Dame-du-Fort

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Notre-Dame-du-Fort 02.jpg

  Église Notre-Dame-du-Fort

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Notre-Dame-du-Fort 03.jpg

  Église Notre-Dame-du-Fort

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Notre-Dame-du-Fort 04.jpg

  Église Notre-Dame-du-Fort

• Église Saint-Basile

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Saint-Basile 01.jpg

  Église Saint-Basile

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Saint-Basile 02.jpg

  Église Saint-Basile

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Saint-Basile 03.jpg

  Église Saint-Basile

• Église Saint-Martin, famous for its leaning tour

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Saint-Martin 01.jpg

  Église Saint-Martin

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Saint-Martin 02.jpg

  Église Saint-Martin

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Saint-Martin 03.jpg

  Église Saint-Martin

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Saint-Martin 04.jpg

  Église Saint-Martin

• Église Saint-Gilles

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Saint-Gilles 01.jpg

  Église Saint-Gilles

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Saint-Gilles 02.jpg

  Église Saint-Gilles

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Saint-Gilles 03.jpg

  Église Saint-Gilles

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Saint-Gilles 04.jpg

  Église Saint-Gilles

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Saint-Gilles 05.jpg

  Église Saint-Gilles

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Saint-Gilles 06.jpg

  Église Saint-Gilles

• France Essonne Etampes Eglise Saint-Gilles 07.jpg

  Église Saint-Gilles

• Chapelle de Gérofosse
• Chapelle de Guinette

Notable Persons

• Louise Abbéma painter, sculptor, and designer
• Theobald of Étampes
• Yacouba Sylla footballer
• Bilal Ouali footballer

Miscellaneous

The subprefecture, a tribunal of first instance, and a communal college are among the public institutions of Étampes.

See also

• Communes of the Essonne department
• Counts and Dukes of Étampes
• Georges Saupique

References

• INSEE
• Mayors of Essonne Association (French)
• The "Pergola de la Douce France" is located in the gardens of the Tour Guinette in Étampes and was part of a larger composition created in 1925 for the Exposition des Arts décoratifs et industriels. It was acquired by Étampes in 1934. The work comprises four large stone blocks on which sixteen bas-reliefs have been created by various sculptors.Georges Saupique executed the reliefs "Le Saint Graal" and "L’Aurochs".

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: 

External links

• Étampes city council website
• Mérimée database - Cultural heritage (French)
• Land use (IAURIF) (English)
• La Base des Loisirs, The city's park's website