Is it true that the roots of Villabé stretch back to the Stone Age? Indeed. Flint tools found here prove early human presence. This agricultural village later saw the Darblay family’s paper industry shape its path.
Today we are exploring Villabé. Its story is woven from fields of wheat to the hum of paper mills. Its identity is a blend of rural roots and industrial progress.
Villabé’s name whispers tales of its past. “Villa Abbatis” hints at lands owned by an abbey long ago. The village nestled on the Essonne River’s slope developed over centuries. It stood amidst wheat fields and vineyards that sustained its people. Around 1138, history notes that Eusrachie de Corbeil gave the church of Ville-Abbé and its wine tithes to the Abbesses.
Fast forward to 1663. Villabé and its hamlets joined the Duchy of Villeroy. A royal copper factory arose near Moulin-Galant due to Sieur Thouvenin’s efforts. 1750 saw the birth of Jean-Baptiste Gaspart d’Ansse de Villoison a scholar of Greek.
The French Revolution stirred change. Villabé’s residents wanted better roads to the royal route. They hoped to sell their “PICOLO” wine for a comfortable living. The early 1800s placed the school and town hall near the church. In 1845, the cemetery shifted to its current spot.
Corbeil and Essonnes industrialized greatly from the 1800s. This brought workers to Villabé. “Cités Darblay” housed those employed at nearby paper mills. Villabé gained a new town hall and school in 1860. Big projects marked the land. The Vanne aqueduct arrived in 1866. A railway was inaugurated in 1897. Potable water came to Villabé in 1898 thanks to the Darblay family. People journeyed from various regions to work at the paper mill in Moulin-Galant a section of Villabé. The factory siren replaced the rooster’s crow. Some villagers continued the wine making traditions. Cellars offered refuge for Villabé’s people.
After gas arrived in 1908 electricity added comfort. The Autoroute du Soleil in 1959 aided transport alongside the train. From 364 residents during the Revolution Villabé grew to 900 by the early 20th century. The population then increased to 1400 after the “Cités Darblay” were built in 1925. Housing developments sprang up from 1972 onward. In 2018 the population reached 5491. The Saint-Marcel church the village’s main ancient site dates to the 12th century. It reopened on October 12 2002 after a year of renovations. Inside admire its beautiful stained glass and carved stalls from 1530.
Today Karl Dirat serves as mayor of Villabé. He also acts as Vice-President of Grand Paris Sud. The early 20th-century orphanage for paper mill workers became barracks and a WWI hospital. The town bought it in the 1950s. Jean-Jaurès primary school now stands there expanded with fifteen classes.
The commune sits thirty-one kilometers southeast of Paris. The Essonne River borders it to the south and east. This forms a natural boundary. The river’s steady flow powered mills for both flour and factories. These mills drove the town’s Industrial Revolution boom.
Villabé now stands at the edge of Évry-Corbeil-Essonnes’ urban area. It boasts a vital logistics hub a commercial zone and a natural marshland in the Essonne valley. Villabé has come a long way. From agriculture and wine to paper mills and modern growth it carries its story in every street.