Originally called simplyLe Bignon, the small village is approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) south ofParis, situated between the communes ofMontargis to the south andNemours to the north.[3]
Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau (1749–1791)
The commune was the birthplace of one of the most celebrated figures of theFrench Revolution, thecomte de Mirabeau. The future orator and statesman was born in the Chateau de Bignon on 4 April 1749.[5]
After Mirabeau's death, the commune's original name was amended to Le Bignon-Mirabeau by a resolution of the Municipal Council on 1 November 1792. The name eventually passed out of favor but was officially and permanently restored in the 1880s. A bronze statue of Mirabeau was erected in the commune to commemorate the restoration of the name.[6][7]