Tourist guide - Office de Tourisme de Villeneuve-sur-Yonne

The story
of Villeneuvesur-Yonne
Villeneuve-sur-Yonne is ideally located on
the banks of the River Yonne and set amidst
rolling hills covered alternately by woods and
fields. The town’s houses are nestled together
around the Bell Tower of Notre-Dame Church.
Over the centuries, the town has grown harmoniously,
the old centre still retaining its myriad
dark red, flat tiled roofs. The town is circled by
a shady esplanade which follows the traces of
former mediaeval walls that protected the ancient
city. Town houses dating back to the 17th
and 18th century only add to the charm.
Numerous sites of archaeological interest in
the surrounding hillsides and valleys show that
the area was inhabited as early as the Paleolithic
period. People came from far and wide, to
buy and repair their flint tools. The first farmers
of the Neolithic period, followed by the Gallo-
Romans established their farms in the Valley
without creating a settlement as such.
It was in 1163 that King Louis VII founded
the town on the East bank of the River Yonne.
He did so in order to extend his royal domain
and strategically strengthen his position against
any possible attack from the Champagne area,
which was then virtually an independent state.
The establishment of this new town was also
part of the great development of the French
regions during the 12th century. Within fifty
years, Villeneuve saw its population, benefiting
from a very advantageous juridical statute «the
Law of Lorris», soar and its boundaries expand
beyond its 2 km long defensive walls with glacis,
broad moat and towered walls opened by
five monumental gates. Two of the original
gates still survive to this day.
During the l3th century, Villeneuve, now
officially one of the strongholds of the French
monarchy welcomed King Philippe Auguste. In
1204, he held his parliament here. Saint Louis
also visited the town on several occasions.
Villeneuve-Le-Roi, as the town was then
known, was to keep its name until 1792. The
name changed during the French Revolution,
was restored during the Restoration period,
and once again during July Monarchy.