Darvault
Darvault is a small rural commune located in the Seine-et-Marne department in northern France, about 72 kilometers from Paris and 19 kilometers from Fontainebleau. Situated between fields and forests, it is close to Nemours, which offers various shops and services. Darvault is only a ten-minute drive from the Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours train station, connecting to Paris’s Gare de Lyon in around an hour.
Historically, Darvault was part of the neighboring commune of Fromonville and was originally a small hamlet without its own facilities like a town hall, church, or cemetery. Local funerals had to travel to Fromonville, taking a route still known as “la ruelle des Morts” (the lane of the dead). The village name has changed through the centuries, first recorded as “Darveia” in the 12th century, with roots possibly meaning “barren land” due to the area’s rocky terrain.
In 1913, Darvault officially became its own commune by law, gaining independence from Fromonville. The first mayor, Francisque Farisy, was elected in 1914. At its founding, Darvault covered 882 hectares and had 347 residents. A boundary change in 1963 slightly reduced its area and population, but today Darvault has grown to approximately 848 residents.