# Milly-la-Forêt

Milly-la-Forêt (French pronunciation: ) is a commune in the Essonne department in the Île-de-France region in northern France.

## Geology

The Forest of Fontainebleau, in the western end of which Milly-la-Forêt lies, is composed of the Oligocene 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; 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 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 is a botanical garden situated in a former farm.

## Culture

* Christian Dior and Jean Cocteau 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
* the 15th century covered market

## Twin towns

Milly-la-Forêt is twinned with the German town of Morsbach, situated in the valley of the Sieg to the east of Cologne and with Forest Row in East Sussex, England.

## Famous people

Many popular characters are born, died or lived in Milly-la-Forêt:
* Dagobert I (v.602–638 or 639), King of the Franks was crowned in Milly.
* Wulfram of Sens (647–703), archbishop of Sens and Saint was born there.
* Louis IX (1214–1270), King of France lived there
* Hugues II de Bouville (1240–1304), chamberlain of Philip the Fair and lord of Bouville.
* Hugues III de Bouville (1275–1331), his son, chamberlain of Philip the Fair who owned the castle.
* Jean de Clisson (died 1346), owner of the castle of Milly through his mother, Blanche de Bouville.
* Olivier V de Clisson (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 (1770–1826), General of division he did there.
* Napoléon Bonaparte (1769–1821), Emperor of French lived there.
* Jean Cocteau (1889–1963), poet and graphist he lived and died there.
* Christian Dior (1905–1957), dressmaker, he lived there.
* Jean Marais (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, lived there.