Saints () is a former

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the Île-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...

department in the

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

in north-central

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. On 1 January 2019, it was merged into the new commune Beautheil-Saints.Arrêté préfectoral
3 July 2018

History

Saints appears on early maps as ''Sanz''. It is an agricultural village perched above the Petit Aubetin River. For a short period of time, this village became the operating base of almost the entire US Air Service, the predecessor of the

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sig ...

. The 1st Pursuit Group was based in Saints for just short of two months – from July 8 to September 1, 1918 out of the seven months it saw combat. And for two weeks before that, the 1st Observation Group's 1st and

12th Aero Squadron The 12th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I. The squadron was assigned as a Corps Observation Squadron, performing short-range, tactical reconnaissance over the I Corps, ...

s were based there. Two adjacent villages — Mauperthuis and Touquin — also play a role in the lives of these men and the US Air Service. The men were based in Touquin from the end of June until July 8, when they moved to Saints. And the men were lodged in Mauperthuis, half a mile from Saints, while they were flying out of Saints.

Quentin Roosevelt Quentin Roosevelt I (November 19, 1897 – July 14, 1918) was the youngest son of President Theodore Roosevelt and First Lady Edith Roosevelt. Inspired by his father and siblings, he joined the United States Army Air Service where he became a pu ...

was based here when he was shot down and killed.

Industry

The village has one small factory - the Tuilerie Thibault. Other than that there are some small farms and one large one - Les Aulnois - which serves as a banquet hall. Les Aulnois had once been a Templar's relay station.

Education

There is single boys and girls school in the village which serves elementary school children.

Geography

The village lies on the right bank of the

Aubetin The Aubetin is a long river in the Marne and Seine-et-Marne ''départements'', northeastern France. Its source is at Les Essarts-le-Vicomte, northeast of Nogent-sur-Seine. It flows generally west-northwest. It is a left tributary of the Grand ...

, which flows westward through the southern part of the commune.

Demographics

Inhabitants of Saints are called ''Saintois''.

Administration