This is Gentilly !!

Posted in France, Paris

This is off the beaten path town in a vastly off the beaten path department/province/state of France, The City of Gentilly is located in the Val-de-Marne department no. 94 in the Île-de-France region of my belle France. It is part of the inner suburbs of the city of Paris, which it borders. The city is crossed by the Meridian Green, which marks the Paris meridian. I have been by here but not as much as should have been living nearby. Therefore, let me tell you about this is Gentilly !! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

Gentilly is bordered to the north by the Paris ring road (BP), to the east by the A6b autoroute and, partly, to the west by the A6a autoroute. Coming from the north, it is possible to access the city by the A6b exit/sortie 1, the Porte d’Italie, the Porte de Gentilly and the Poterne des Peupliers. It is connected to Kremlin-Bicêtre by Avenue Jean-Jaurès, to Montrouge by Avenue Paul Vaillant-Couturier, to Arcueil by Avenue de Stalingrad. It has a stop of the RER B line Gentilly station; and by the metro line 14 stop/arrêt Hôpital Bicêtre station on the municipal boundary of Kremlin-Bicêtre, It is about 6 km from Paris Centre, 22 km from Versailles, and 471 km from my current home.

The Church Sacré Coeur or Sacred Heart is done in the neo-Romanesque style linked to a neo-Byzantine type construction that we can admire today. built between 1933 and 1936. Its bell tower decorated with four monumental statues of bronze angels overlooks the ring road (BP) of Paris and the A6. It is also that of the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris. Located on Avenue Paul-Vaillant-Couturier, its high bell tower, make it a well-known element of the Parisian landscape. Since 1979, it has been assigned to the Portuguese Catholic community. The sculpted works are Christ in Majesty surrounded by the Doctors of the Church, tympanum of the north portal, bas-relief, stone, 1936. Monumental angels, bell tower, four statues, in the round, bronze, 1936. The benefactors of the University of Paris, twelve half-reliefs, stone, 1936. The interior paintings are by the painter Ángel Zárraga (Mexico), in particular: The Baptism of Christ, monumental painting, ca 1936. The Resurrection of Christ, monumental painting, ca 1936. Stations of the Cross, 14 paintings, ca 1938. The 17 abstract stained glass windows were executed in 1935.

Other things to see here are the Saint-Saturnin Church built on the remains of a 7C abbey, built by Saint Éloi on the estate given to him by Dagobert. The current church dates from the 13C and was remodeled in the 16C after the collapse of the nave. The Maison de la photographie Robert-Doisneau, named in 1992 by Robert Doisneau on his 80th birthday and inaugurated in 1996, offers numerous exhibitions on humanist photography. The 17C saw the creation of the Medici aqueduct, responsible for supplying water to the left bank of Paris. The latter, still perfectly preserved, runs via Fresnes, L’Haÿ-les-Roses, Cachan, Arcueil and Gentilly. The most striking structure, the aqueduct bridge located on the southern edge of Arcueil, still serves today as the Vanne aqueduct, which then passes under a central reservation on the border between Gentilly and Montrouge before reaching Paris.

A bit of history tell us that a place called Gentiliaco was mentioned for the first time in the 6C as royal property but it is only at the end of the 13C that the name Gentilly appears. Throughout the Middle Ages, the territory was shared between several abbeys and a lordship, often changing owners. King Pepin the Short spent the winter of 762 there, and held a council of bishops there in 767. In 878, Louis the Stutterer gave the lordship of Gentilly to Ingelwin, Bishop of Paris. Saint Louis built a monastery there for the Carthusians. Under Charles IX, the Prince of Condé camped there with his troops.

The official Church Sacre Coeur of Gentilly: https://egliseportugaisedegentilly.fr/fr-histoirept-historia/

The city of Gentilly on its transports: https://www.ville-gentilly.fr/ma-mairie/decouvrir-la-ville/se-deplacer

The Val de Marne dept 94 tourist office on Gentilly: https://www.tourisme-valdemarne.com/communes/gentilly/

This is an overlook town for those visiting the Paris/Versailles corridor and as it is still an off the beaten path area that visitors should try to visit more if can. Anyway, Gentilly is nice and unique place to get to know the real France, Again, hope you enjoy the post on this is Gentilly as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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