Mériel is a town in the Val d'Oise, in the Île-de-France region, 10 kilometers east of Pontoise and 30 kilometers north-west of Paris.
The territory of the town is located on the left bank of the Oise, a tributary of the Seine, and borders the south of the forest of L'Isle-Adam.
Long modest village formed around the radiant Cistercian abbey Notre-Dame du Val, founded in 1125, Mériel, belonging under the old regime to the lords of Orgemont then Villiers of L'Isle-Adam, has less than 1000 inhabitants before the First War.
Its population is now approaching 5,000 inhabitants, becoming a city prized for its residential character and its preserved environment. On an area of 531 hectares, Mériel still has 150 hectares of woodland and 100 hectares of farmland, not to mention the nature reserve of the Marais de Stors.
With the charms of the banks of the Oise and the museum dedicated to Jean Gabin who lived much of his childhood and adolescence in the town, so many arguments that justify a step to Mériel.
The site of the Notre-Dame du Val abbey, to the north-east of the town, a little away, can be the starting point of a walk discovering the heritage of Mériel. Considered as the oldest Cistercian foundation in the region, erected in 1125, it was surrounded by an area of 120 hectares, part of which is located on L'Isle-Adam. Thanks to the generosity and piety of the neighboring lords, the monks enlarged the abbey in the 13th century. The conventual building still visible today dates back to this period (we distinguish the sacristy, the chapter house, the parlor and the monks' room). Apart from the northern gallery of the cloister, a large part of the other parts of the building and its outbuildings (the farm, the mill) are in the state of remains, the abbey was bought after the Revolution and partly dismantled. Now classified and protected, the whole is nevertheless worth seeing. Guided tour possible by contacting +33 1 34 21 50 77.
In the center of the village, to see also the church of Saint-Eloi, restored and remodeled in the eighteenth century in a neo-Romanesque style based on a chapel of the thirteenth. Inside, there is a wooden pulpit of the fifteenth century from the abbey and stalls of the sixteenth. One can still notice in the church a painting of Madeleine Poësy, sister of Jean Gabin, representing Christ on the cross and dated 1911.
This allows to link with the museum dedicated to the actor, housed in the former working house inhabited by Jean Gabin during his childhood and by his brother-in-law, Jean Poësy. As for Jean Gabin's father, he remained in Mériel until 1955. Since 1993, after the family donated the house to the commune, the museum has many personal memories of the actor highlighted by a bold set design. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon from mid-March to mid-November. Entry: 2 and 4 euros. Information on +33 1 34 64 87 92.
Finally, the last elements of built heritage of interest are the old mill of Stors, built by the monks in the sixteenth century and transformed into a manor house with English park in the nineteenth, and the cross erected after a subscription of the inhabitants to the memory of Louis de Montebello, killed by lightning as he returned to the mill of Stors, his summer residence.
The mill itself is included, in the limit of L'Isle-Adam and the castle of the same name, in the protected area of the Marais de Stors, in the Vieux Moutiers valley. The site is remarkable for its ecosystem.
With the former domain of the abbey, the woods at the edge of L'Isle-Adam or the banks of the Oise, these marshes can be the object of hiking or mountain biking. Discovery trails have been designed as well as paths specifically dedicated to mountain biking. Documentation and information on +33 1 34 69 41 99 or +33 1 30 73 39 20.
As for sports, you can play a game of tennis by booking at +33 6 22 38 71 08. A bowling alley and a football field are also available in the town.
Lastly, on the cultural level, Espace Rive Gauche hosts exhibitions and shows throughout the year. Information on +33 1 34 48 12 16. And in the library, children's storytelling sessions are regularly scheduled on Wednesdays. Information on +33 1 34 64 87 92.
On the last weekend of January, the Musique en Scène festival offers classical and lyric concerts.
The first Sunday of April, a large flea market is organized in the city.
In November, the Jazz festival over the Oise makes step Mériel.
Finally, the last weekend of November, a short film festival is organized, dedicated to Jean Gabin.
