Origins At the time of
Roman Gaul there was a castrum was installed at the intersection of the road from
Lutèce to
Cenabum and the river
Orge in the valley that was the territory of the
Parisii tribe. The discovery in 1960 of the remains, which included a Gallo-Roman cemetery, certify this ancient occupation. The evolution of the name to
Chastres is sometimes dated to the year 250. Two megalithic monuments remain: one in the Library Park and the other near the Rémarde river an inscription in
Gallic was found in 1947 and is kept in the Municipal Museum of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
From Chastres to Arpajon In the 10th century the first church was built in the village but it was quickly ruined. In 1006 the rebuilding of the church and steeple was entrusted to the
Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Saint-Maur by
Renaud de Vendôme,
bishop of Paris and it was consecrated to
Pope Clement I. They added a
cloister, a
priory, and a
tithe barn. A document dated 1265 attests to the presence of a Hotel-Dieu at Arpajon for the accommodation of travelers and the poor. There were also several mills on the Orge and the Rémarde. The town was fortified and had five entrances. In 1317 Pierre de Chastres was buried in the parish church. In 1360, during the
Hundred Years War, the city was besieged by King
Edward III of England and the church where there were eight hundred refugees was burned leaving no survivors. In 1470 the lordship of Chastres belonged to the lord of
Marcoussis. In July 1470 King
Louis XI authorised two fair days at Chastres for his counselor and chamberlain Jean du Graville by
letters patent.
Louis Malet de Graville built a
market hall at the crossroads of the Paris to Étampes and Dourdan to Corbeil roads. In 1510 the monks, through the generosity of the Graville and Montagu families undertook major renovations of the church and in 1542 a sub-delegation of Chastres was attached to the
Generality of Paris. In 1545 the lordship of Chastres became independent. In 1643 the bell named
Antoinette was cast. On 28 April 1652
Turenne stationed his troops at Châtres to protect the court at
Saint-Germain before he marched on
Étampes on 3 May. In 1717 the Hotel-Dieu was completely rebuilt. In 1720 Louis de Severac, Marquis of Arpajon from the great medieval family of Arpajon, bought and obtained from
Philippe d'Orléans the privilege of giving his name to the commune. However, the adoption of the new name took a long time and peasants who refused to abandon the name of Châtres were beaten up. He also promised to reduce local taxes for two years. The
Canting arms of the city come from this family. In 1733 he knocked down the old city gate in the north which was too narrow for many carts and instead erected two
Pilasters which are the current
Porte de Paris. He died on 21 August 1736 and was buried in the
choir of the parish church. ===The
French Revolution and growth=== In 1782
Benjamin Franklin installed a
lightning rod on the spire of the Church of Saint Clement. At the Revolution the town chose to adopt the name of
Francval. There was a custom to give the name of the place of baptism as a second or third name: thus a boy was named Francval in
year II. Philippe de Noailles was lord of Arpajon and he was long in great favour at court with his wife being first lady of honour to
Marie Antoinette, nicknamed by her Madame
Etiquette. This Court favour brought down punishment in the days of the Revolution and the old marshal and his wife were guillotined on 27 June 1794. The castle was sold in 1802 and demolished. In 1800 the Canton of Arpajon was created then attached to the
Arrondissement of Corbeil in the department of
Seine-et-Oise. In 1806
Napoleon I and
Empress Josephine visited the town and made offering at the high altar of the church. In 1833 a large Post and Telegraph office was opened. ;Modernisation of Arpajon in the 19th century In 1851 the Martin brothers, originating from
Limoges, set up a shoe factory which, in 1900, employed 450 adults and about 50 children. It was bought by
André shoes in 1920 and closed its doors forever in 1956. In 1868 the commune built a
City Hall for use instead of the feudal castle. Then, in 1889, it bought the
Pagoda that was presented by
Tonkin during the
Universal Exhibition of Paris. In the same year the
Compagnie de chemin de fer sur route de Paris à Arpajon (Railway Company for the Paris to Arpajon route) which in 1893 opened the Porte d'Orléans-Antony and Antony-Longjumeau-Montlhery sections then the Montlhery-Arpajon section in 1894 for passengers. In the surrounding villages of
Marcoussis,
Linas, and
Montlhéry,
market gardening was very important and from 1911 to 1936 led to expansion of the railway to transport tomatoes, strawberries, and beans grown in the fields to the Paris markets. In the second half of the 19th century the
Boulevard de la Gare was opened with the inauguration of the railway station in 1865 and the construction of holiday villas. Image:ARPAJON - La Gare.JPG|Arpajon railway station at the beginning of the 20th century. Image:ARPAJON - Station des Tramways.jpg|The Arpajonnais tramway station behind Arpajon railway station was used at the beginning of the 20th century by the
CGB. Image:Arpajonhalle1920.jpg|The covered market at the beginning of the 20th century.
Modern History In 1922 the first
Bean Fair was inaugurated which was classified as a national fair in 1970. On 6 July 1924 on the long, straight
Route nationale 20 between Arpajon and
Torfou,
René Thomas set a land speed record of in a
Delage called
La Torpille (The Torpedo) followed, on 12 July 1924, by Ernest A.D. Eldridge who increased the record to in a Fiat Special called
Mephistopheles II. In 1934 the Hôtel-Dieu became a hospice as a result of the construction of the first hospital outside the town. On 22 August 1944 the commune was liberated by the
Leclerc division. In 1948 Abel Cornaton, mayor of the commune, endowed the
municipal showers which became the district court in 1985. On 23 April 1977 Arpajon was on the path of the ''Tour cycliste de l'Essonne''. On 1 January 1968, after the breakup of Seine-et-Oise department, Arpajon was integrated into the new French department of
Essonne and abandoned its former postal code - 78021. Arpajon was also the last stage town of the
Tour de France in 1999 before a journey of 143 kilometres to Paris .
Heraldry ==Politics and Administration==