Villejuif


Villejuif is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.

Name

The earliest reference to this place appears in a bull signed by the Pope Callixtus II on November 27, 1119. It refers to Villa Judea, the Latinized version of the Old French expression meaning 'Jewish settlement'. During the following centuries, the toponym appears as Villejuifve, that is, following the archaic French spelling of the expression with the same meaning, cognate to modern French Villejuive. The French author from the 17th century Louis Moréri indicates that the settlement was founded by Jews expelled from Paris. This idea, however, remains speculative: available medieval Christian and Jewish sources do not mention the existence of the Jewish community in this place. For this reason, the exact role of Jews in the inception or the development of this town remains obscure. During the 20th century, certain authors suggested other etymological explanations that are, nevertheless, even more speculative and, moreover, do not explain the known Latin and medieval French spellings.

Demographics

Population

Immigration

Transport

Villejuif is served by three stations on Paris Métro Line 7: Villejuif – Léo Lagrange, Villejuif – Paul Vaillant-Couturier, and Villejuif – Louis Aragon.

Personalities

Villejuif has several hospitals on its territory :
13 preschools, 11 elementary schools, and five junior high schools are in Villejuif. Lycée intercommunal Darius-Milhaud serves Villejuif.
Other institutions: