Vaujours

Vaujours is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 18.2 km (11.3 mi) from the center of Paris, in the département of Seine-Saint-Denis. Known for its wines and fruit until the end of the 19th century, Vaujours is now one of the world's premier producers of plaster of Paris.

History and Heritage

The commune is mentioned in documents predating the 9th century. In archives from the twelfth century, it is named as Vallis Jost and Vaujoi, from the Latin for 'valley of joy'. Around the year 1100, the land belonged to Étienne de Senlis, archdeacon of Notre Dame de Paris who gave it in turn as one of many generous gifts of the time to the Abbey of St Victor, Paris. Henry VI of England and (for a time) of France had a hunting lodge near Montauban Hill, where now there is a housing development which bears his name.

At the end of the 18th century Saint Nicholas Church was constructed. This building still houses the treasures of sacred art, in particular an 18th-century painting representing the baptism of Christ, and a tabernacle from the seventeenth century. Until the start of the 20th century the village of Vaujours was largely controlled by the Pailleux family. The funerary flagstones of the family of the Master who ruled the village from 1760 to 1840 can also be seen in the church.