Boutigny-sur-Essonne is a commune in Essonne, in the Île-de-France region, 47 km south of Paris and 19 km east of Etampes.
Its territory of 16 km² runs along the right bank of the course of the Essonne and is very wooded, in the heart of a massif making in a way the link between the forests of Rambouillet to the west and Fontainebleau to the west. 'is.
The Boutigny site was occupied from the Neolithic period (cave paintings have been brought to light) and the village developed in the Middle Ages, the center of a seigneury which has been owned over the centuries by various noble families in the region..
The activity is agricultural (establishment of mills, then vines and watercress beds) and in the 19th century, the town was famous for its sandstone shipped in the form of paving stones to Paris until the 1960s.
Nowadays, part of the land remains dedicated to agriculture and although it has 3000 inhabitants, Boutigny-sur-Essonne has preserved a quality heritage, both historically and naturally (banks of the Essonne, forests). A godsend for lovers of green tourism and hiking!
Chronologically, it is the ornate caves known as Malabry which are the oldest heritage sites in the locality. Thus, it was in 1953 that in one of them, the Cave of Justice, was discovered a painting representing a deer, colored with ocher. It is dated from the Neolithic period (between 6000 and 2200 BC). Other engravings are more recent: drawings, names of workers who worked in sandstone quarries… The whole being located in a wooded setting.
Next in the center of the village, see the Saint-Barthélémy church, built in the 12th century in limestone from Beauce and altered in the 14th and then in the 19th century. Only the transept and the square tower date from the early church. In addition to a bronze bell installed in 1557, the building houses quality furniture and sacred works of art. The altar of the Sacred Heart and its tabernacle were thus classified, various statues, paintings (including canvases by Jean-Baptiste Wicar, pupil of David, dating from the first part of the 19th century), funerary slabs, benches, the confessional, the baptismal font… The church itself is protected as historical monuments.
The Boutigny mill can still be seen: now transformed into a residential building, it operated until 2005 after bringing together old mills from the 12th and 15th centuries.
On the edge of the Essonne, again, but on the left bank, is the Bélestat domain. Within a 50 hectare estate, it has a 16th century castle which was completed by a second neo-classical main building in the 18th century. Michel de L'Hôpital (chancellor and superintendent of finances, poet, and who worked for peace during the Wars of Religion) lived there and died there in the 16th century, Voltaire stayed there in the 18th century. Renowned for its French-style gardens, the estate was more recently renovated and transformed into a hotel establishment with a golf course. However, the site is no longer open to the public.
As far as "nature" sports and leisure activities are concerned, a game of tennis is possible, by booking a court with the local club on +33 6 32 53 53 28.
As for fishing enthusiasts, they have available the potential offered by the Cours de l'Essonne: information on suitable sites and regulations on +33 1 64 96 14 00.
Obviously remains the whole of the natural heritage which can be the setting for many hikes (knowing that the banks of the Essonne like the woods surrounding the village are identified as sensitive areas).
Note that the section "Forêt de Rambouillet - Forêt de Fontainebleau" (114 km) of the GR1, whose route consists of a large loop around Paris, crosses the town.
Another signposted route (PR) passes through the hamlet of Marchais, in the north-east of the territory.
Other loops are possible including glades, old sandstone quarries, decorated caves, and of course the Essonne valley. Maps and information on +33 1 64 98 83 17.
There is also another way to explore these bucolic landscapes: go on a horseback ride. To do this, contact the Hemp Valley Stables (contact +33 6 51 82 21 96).
It remains to mention the activities (workshops, exhibitions, hikes...) programmed throughout the year by the Regional Natural Park of Gâtinais of which Boutigny-sur-Essonne is a member: information on +33 1 64 98 73 93.
