Grigny brings together different chapters of its history: a church with origins in the 12th and 14th centuries, a historic washhouse, the legacy of musician Sidney Bechet and the mosaic-decorated architecture of La Grande Borne. If you’re looking for accommodation in Grigny, you can get to know the town through these varied highlights—from its historic heritage to signposted routes around the Lacs de l’Essonne.
Local history on a walking tour and in individual buildings
The Circuit patrimonial du village takes you through Grigny’s history in ten stages. It was inaugurated on 5 October 2013. The walking tour was intended to preserve the town’s history and allow walkers—residents and others alike—to make it their own and develop a sense of belonging. This makes it possible to combine a walk with a look at various historical landmarks, rather than viewing them only as separate names.
The Église Saint-Antoine et Saint-Sulpice dates from the 12th and 14th centuries. Its historic heritage includes the Marie bell, dating from 1541, which weighs 520 kilograms and is listed as a historic monument, as well as seven 19th-century tapestries. They depict biblical scenes, are also listed as historic monuments, and adorn the church interior. The altarpiece in the Chapel of Our Lady at the Église Saint-Antoine in Grigny also dates from the 18th century.
The Ferme Neuve tells another chapter of the town’s history. Guillaume-François Joly de Fleury, the seigneur of Grigny, had it built between 1730 and 1750 to replace the farm belonging to the nearby manor house. Today, the renovated Ferme Neuve is owned by the municipality, and a new town centre is taking shape around it. This site therefore brings together its former agricultural use and the ongoing development of the town centre.
The washhouse, built in 1873, also shows how design and function come together. Its roof, with a central open basin, forms an impluvium. The complex also includes a barbotoir, a main basin and a rinçoir. La Grande Borne offers a different architectural accent: in the 1970s, architect Emile Aillaud designed it as a unique artists’ housing estate. Its features include numerous mosaic-decorated “pignons images” and sculptures. These two examples represent different architectural and design ideas from different centuries.
Walking routes and musical history
There are three signposted routes around the Lacs de l’Essonne, which extend across Viry-Châtillon and Grigny. They are 1.5, 2.5 and 4 kilometres long. The stated distances make it easy to compare the route options without specifying a walking time. If you’re planning a walk, you can choose the distance that suits your own schedule.
Grigny is also connected with Sidney Bechet. He lived with his wife at 10 Rue Pierre Brossolette from 1950 to 1959. There, he composed “Petite Fleur” and, around the same time, “Les Oignons”. This specific place and time give the story of the music a point of reference in the townscape, without dating the two compositions more precisely than the available information allows.
Getting around and taking a cultural break
The Médiathèque Pablo Picasso is a five-minute walk from Grigny station on RER line D and can also be reached on bus route N135, getting off at “Gare de Grigny centre”. Check the bus timetable before setting out. The Médiathèque has novels, comics, magazines, language-learning books, CDs and Blu-rays, as well as an area for toddlers and their parents. It provides another cultural point of reference in town alongside the historic sites. Together, the walking tour, architecture, musical history and routes around the lakes offer different ways to make the most of your time in Grigny.
Discover more destinations: Saint-Michel-Sur-Orge, Saint-Germain-Lès-Arpajon, Bruyères-Le-Châtel, Saulx-Les-Chartreux, La Norville, Champmotteux, Évry, Fontenay-lès-Briis.
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