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Sevran (Municipality, Seine-Saint-Denis, France)

Flag of Sevran - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 03 November 2025

Presentation of Sevran
Flag of Sevran

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Presentation of Sevran

Sevran (51,640 inhabitants, 728 ha) is a commune in the French department of Seine-Saint-Denis, northeastern suburbs of Paris.

In the 6th century, Ermenthrude mentions Sevran in his will. Archaeological excavations carried out in 1984 led to the discovery of Merovingian tombs in the Church of Saint-Martin. The Benedictines of Saint-Martin-des-Champs settled in Sevran in 1060. Around 1083, the fief was the seigneury of Hugh of Dammartin, a vassal of the Bishop of Paris. The estate was then ceded to Saint-Martin, who retained only the seigneury and the right of justice. The village, whose economy relied on grain farming, enjoyed a period of economic prosperity. However, in the 16th and 17th centuries, poor harvests led to periods of famine. In 1569, Saint-Martin-des-Champs sold the seigneury of Sevran to Charles Maheut, a notary to the king. In the 17th century, Saint Vincent de Paul spent several years in the village. In 1643, the Château de Sevran was established as a fiefdom. The French Revolution brought no major changes to the village. In 1802, with a decree dated 29 Floréal, Year X (May 18, 1802), Napoleon Bonaparte, then First Consul, ordered the opening of the Ourcq Canal. The canal was opened in 1822. The construction of the Ourcq Canal, followed by the railway, transformed the town. Numerous businesses were established near these two routes, providing employment for new residents: the Sevran-Livry National Gunpowder Factory (1873), Westinghouse (1891), and Kodak (1925).

The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 was the most devastating for Sevran. The town was deserted by its inhabitants: only three remained, and eight returned out of the 360 who had lived in the town. The woods were razed, and the town was completely destroyed. The town had 2,600 inhabitants after the First World War and more than 10,000 on the eve of the Second World War.
After the German defeat, Sevran won its freedom at a high price: several shells exploded in the town, causing numerous casualties. On August 28, 1944, the center of Sevran was liberated by American troops. From the 1950s onward, the northern part of the town experienced rapid urbanization. The fields gradually disappeared. In the 1970s, the town encouraged the development of commercial and industrial zones, such as Beau Sevran and the Irène-et-Joliot-Curie business park.

In the early 2000s, hit hard by deindustrialization, the town was practically bankrupt, had a high unemployment rate, and became one of the poorest areas of the Paris Metropolitan Area.

Olivier Touzeau, 03 November 2025

Flag of Sevran

The arms are blazoned:
Azure, a bend argent between 3 acorns and 2 eagle talons Or, on a chief azure, 3 fleurs de lys Or surmounted by a label argent.
The coat of arms of Sevran incorporates, in its main part, the arms of the Sanguin family (some of whose members were lords of Livry-Gargan and Sevran), adding in chief those of the Orléans family, who succeeded the Sanguin family as lords of the town.
In 1964, the town adopted the full achievement of the coat of arms that references the town's industrial history: the flames of the gunpowder factory and the camera lens, a reference to Kodak.

The flag of Sevran, observed in 2007/2014, was white with the full coat of arms: photo (2014), photo (2011), photo (2008), photo (2007).

No flag observed since 2015: photo of the city hall (2015).

Olivier Touzeau, 03 November 2025