Antheny () is a

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 Ardennes department in the

Grand Est Grand Est (; gsw-FR, Grossa Oschta; Moselle Franconian/ lb, Grouss Osten; Rhine Franconian: ''Groß Oschte''; german: Großer Osten ; en, "Great East") is an administrative region in Northeastern France. It superseded three former administra ...

region of northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. The commune has been awarded one flower by the ''National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom'' in the ''Competition of cities and villages in Bloom''.

Geography

Antheny is located some 40 km west by north-west of

Charleville-Mézières or ''Carolomacérienne'' , image flag=Flag of Charleville Mezieres.svg Charleville-Mézières () is a commune of northern France, capital of the Ardennes department, Grand Est. Charleville-Mézières is located on the banks of the river Meuse. ...

and some 20 km east of

Hirson Hirson ( pcd, Urchon) is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Location Hirson is adjacent to Belgium. It is located in the northeastern department of Aisne, near the departments of Nord and ...

. Access is by the D34 road from Tarzy in the north-west continuing through the village to Prez in the south-east. There is also the D31 road from

Auvillers-les-Forges Auvillers-les-Forges is a commune in the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region of northern France. Geography Auvillers-les-Forges is located some 27 km west by north-west of Charleville-Mézières and 22 km east by south-east of ...

in the north-east also passing through the village and continuing south-west to Bossus-les-Rumigny. There is also the hamlet of Fontenelle south-west of the village on the D31. The rest of the commune is entirely farmland. The Orvaux and the Ruisseau de Saint Remy flow from the north-east to the south-west joining near the village to form the Ton river which flows westwards to join the

Oise Oise ( ; ; pcd, Oése) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,41 ...

near Étréaupont

Neighbouring communes and villages

History

A statistic dated 1844 and written by Abbot Geoffrey, then the pastor of the town, said that the origin of the village was the result of an emigrant family from Italy. This family faced a major upheaval in their country (in the time of

Charles Martel Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesm ...

) and came to France to acquire a territory which covered the present communes of Antheny and

Auge In Greek mythology, Auge (; Ancient Greek: Αὐγή 'sunbeam, daylight, dawn') was the daughter of Aleus the king of Tegea in Arcadia, and the virgin priestess of Athena Alea. She was also the mother of the hero Telephus by Heracles. Auge had ...

. They built a

Motte-and-bailey castle A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy t ...

in the current Antheny commune. They took as a surname: ''de la Motte d'Antheny''. The last male descendant of this illustrious family died in

L'Île-Bouchard L'Île-Bouchard () is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. From 8 to 14 December 1947, L'Île-Bouchard was the site of Marian apparitions. Four girls aged 7 to 12 reported having seen the Virgin Mary and the archangel G ...

on 21 October 1901 at the age of 3 years. Other branches of this family were born with the surnames d'Antheny and Dantheny. The village was burned and looted many times: on 27 September 1521 by the

Duke of Nassau The Duchy of Nassau (German: ''Herzogtum Nassau'') was an independent state between 1806 and 1866, located in what is now the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. It was a member of the Confederation of the Rhine and later of the G ...

who had been forced to raise the

Siege of Mézières The siege of Mézières took place in 1521, during the Italian War of 1521–1526. The town (now part of Charleville-Mézières) was besieged by an army of the Holy Roman Empire. Mézières was defended by French troops under the command of Pierre ...

, again in 1638, then in 1643, and finally in 1653 by Spanish troops. Antheny village also has a nearby hamlet of Fontenelle. The

fortified house A fortified house or fortified mansion is a type of building which developed in Europe during the Middle Ages, generally with significant fortifications added. United States In the United States, historically a fortified house was often calle ...

at Fontenelle was destroyed in 1559 by the men of the

Count of Saint-Pol The county of Saint-Pol (or ''Sint-Pols'') was a county around the French city of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise (''Sint-Pols-aan-de-Ternas'') on the border of Artois and Picardy, formerly the county of Ternois. For a long time the county belonged to Fla ...

. Today there is an attractive Renaissance castle. The church at Antheny is dedicated to Saint Remy who was Bishop of Reims and who baptized Clovis I. He possessed the territory of Pothées (near Antheny). The early church dates from 1198 but very little remains: some Romanesque arches in the north wall. It has had several fires. The current building is the result of the restoration carried out in 1689. The village still has some fortified farmhouses dating from the end of the 17th century.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 99 inhabitants.

Sites and Monuments

A Cemetery Cross (18th century) is registered as an historical monument.Ministry of Culture, Mérimée Image:Antheny (Ardennes) Église Saint-Remy, chevet.JPG, Image:Antheny (Ardennes) ferme fortifiée B.JPG, Image:Antheny (Ardennes) Église Saint-Remy extérieur.JPG, File:Antheny (Ardennes) croix de chemin.JPG, File:Antheny (Ardennes) monument aux morts.JPG, File:Antheny (Ardennes) Église Saint-Remy intérieur.JPG,

Notable people linked to the commune

Commandant Louis François Louis Melin was born in Antheny on 8 December 1810. He was the commandant of the ''Place de Rocroi'' in 1870. His son Léonce was wounded before

Belfort Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Terri ...

in 1870 and died in the ambulance. He belonged to the 14th Battalion of chasseurs.