Initially, Gilles is a Roman villa, a simple rural estate. His name was Guill, then Guilles, but his etymology remains uncertain.
Under the Merovingians, Gilles belongs to the royal domain. Around the year 700, the king ceded Gilles and two mills (l'Etang and La Boissière) to the Benedictine abbey of Saint Germain des Prés. In 828, the Irminion polyptych, written by an abbot of Saint Germain des Prés, recapitulates the properties of the order.
In 1099, the lords of the neighborhood, including that of Ivry, took part in the capture of Jerusalem. On the return, some Templars settle in the house known as Guillaume (3 bis Grande rue). The Coast of the Templars is undoubtedly the memory of it…
Around the year 1100, the lord of La Boissière fought 3 other lords of Gilles. 4 seigneuries then shared Gilles: Vitré, La Boissière, Les Mazis and Jolivet.
