Antony () is a commune in the southern suburbs of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France, from the centre of Paris. Antony is a

subprefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Counties of Albania, Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several Districts of Albania, district ...

of the

Hauts-de-Seine Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a department in the Île-de-France region of France. It covers Paris's western inner suburbs. It is bordered by Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne to the east, Val-d'Oise to the north, Yvelines to the west and ...

department and the seat of the

arrondissement of Antony The arrondissement of Antony is an arrondissement of France in the Hauts-de-Seine department in the Île-de-France region. It has 11 communes. Its population is 406,344 (2021), and its area is . Composition The communes of the arrondissement ...

. Watered by the Bièvre, a tributary of the

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

, Antony is at the crossroads of important transport routes, especially the main north–south axis, which has existed for 2,000 years. Little urbanized until the early 20th century, the city grew considerably between the two wars, under Senator-

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Auguste Mounié, from 4,000 to 20,000 inhabitants. In the early 1960s the population quickly increased from 25,000 to 50,000 to accommodate repatriated people from

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. Now incorporated in the

Paris Metropolitan Area The Paris metropolitan area () is a statistical area that describes the reach of commuter movement to and from Paris, France and its surrounding suburbs. Overview In 2020, France's national INSEE statistical bureau introduced the concept "ai ...

, it is particularly strong in education, with one of the largest private institutions in France, and in health, with the largest private establishment in

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

. The commune has been awarded "two flowers" by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition for Cities and Villages in Bloom.

Geography

Location

Antony is a city in the southern suburbs of Paris in the Hurepoix and is the chief town of the arrondissement of

- 12.2 km south of Notre-Dame Cathedral. Its altitudeGeographic presentation in the PLU
September 2006, Antony official website, consulted on 6 April 2012 . is 48m above sea level at the lowest point at rue Gabriel Chamon in the Bièvre Valley and 100m at the highest point in the Avenue d'Estienne d'Orves on the border with Châtenay-Malabry. Antony is at the intersection of three departments: *

Essonne Essonne () is a department in the southern part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659, across 194 communes.Verrières-le-Buisson to the west, Wissous to the east, and Massy to the south; *

, with the communes of Châtenay-Malabry to the west, Sceaux and

Bourg-la-Reine Bourg-la-Reine () is a Communes of France, commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. History In 1792, during the French Revolution, Bourg-la-Reine (meaning "Town of the Queen") w ...

to the north; *

Val-de-Marne Val-de-Marne (, "Vale of the Marne") is a department of France located in the Île-de-France region. Named after the river Marne, it is situated in the Grand Paris metropolis to the southeast of the City of Paris. In 2019, Val-de-Marne had a ...

, with the communes of Fresnes and

L'Haÿ-les-Roses L'Haÿ-les-Roses () is a Communes of France, commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. L'Haÿ-les-Roses is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Val-de-Marne ''Département ...

to the east Antony is traversed by three rivers: the Bièvre River and its two tributaries, the Ruisseau des Godets and the Ruisseau de Rungis. One branch of the Bièvre upstream flows in the open through Heller Park in an area where the Bièvre is maintained by the Inter-communal association for development of the Bièvre Valley. From there it has been channeled and covered since the decision of the municipal council on 26 October 1950 nearly all the way to Paris. It then becomes part of the network of the ''Inter-departmental association for sanitation of the Paris agglomeration''. Since the early 2000s, the restoration of the open air to the Bièvre at Antony and downstream has been envisaged.The Bièvre to be restored to the surface in Hauts-de-Seine
, Hauts-de-Seine General Council website, consulted on 6 April 2012 . In 2003 this was done to Fresnes at the ''Pars des Prés'' on the edge of the La Fontaine district of Antony. Antony is bisected by the South Parisian Green corridor which forms a portion of the ''via Turonensis'': one of four paths in France for the pilgrimage to Saint Jacques de Compostela.

Geology and terrain

The commune area is with the altitude varying between . The plateaux of Beauce ends in the north in an area crossed by small tributaries of the

. Antony is located in the extreme north-east of this area, called Hurepoix. The crust of

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

of Beauce ends with a ledge at the edge of the Bois de Verrières. It covers a thick impermeable layer about thick of

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

mixed with

marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, Clay minerals, clays, and silt. When Lithification, hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. M ...

from Fontainebleau which is itself resting on layers of green marl in which there are some areas of

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate Hydrate, dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, drywall and blackboard or sidewalk ...

then finally blue marl forming the bottom of the Bièvre valley. These green and blue marls form a completely waterproof layer about thick. These set the date of these layers to the

Tertiary period The Tertiary ( ) is an obsolete Period (geology), geologic period spanning 66 million to 2.6 or 1.8 million years ago. The period began with the extinction of the non-bird, avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at t ...

when the sea occupying the centre of the Paris Basin began to retreat. The old village of Antony is located on the green marl at the edge of the outcrop of the

water table The water table is the upper surface of the phreatic zone or zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with groundwater, which may be fresh, saline, or brackish, depending on the loc ...

. It was in the gypsum layer that, in Antony in 1807,

Georges Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, baron Cuvier (23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier (; ), was a French natural history, naturalist and zoology, zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuv ...

discovered the fossils of an extinct animal, one of the first to be scientifically recognized - in 1796 Cuvier had been one of first to argue species could become extinct. Naming it '' Anoplotherium commune'', he described a mammalian ungulate herbivore with a long tail and the stature of a donkey or horse that lived 30 million years ago in the

Late Eocene The Priabonian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy, ICS's geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age or the upper stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Eocene epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), Series. It spans ...

to the earliest

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

Climate

Antony climate type is of degraded oceanic. The most commonly used meteorological observation stations for Antony are those at Orly and at the airport of

Vélizy-Villacoublay Vélizy-Villacoublay () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the south-western suburbs of Paris from the Kilometre Zero, center and ea ...

,''The Floods and Submersions of the Bievre''
23 August 2006, Ministry of Equipment, consulted on 7 April 2012 . both being communes located near Antony. The climate in the departments of the inner suburbs of Paris is characterized by sunshine and relatively low rainfall. The following table compares the climate of the city of Antony with that of some large French cities: The issue of flooding in some districts of Antony and Fresnes, following clogging of water networks (i.e. stormwater, wastewater and the Bièvre) during violent storms (1982, 2001, 2008) returns periodically although a protection plan against flooding was made, either by the prefect or the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

, in August 2006.

Channels of communication and transport

Roads

Antony is primarily served by the D920 road (formerly National Route 20) which passes along the entire length of the commune tracing Y. Firino, ''Antony - Five centuries of Street and Place names'', APPA, Antony, 1998 . the route of the

Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

''via Aurelianensis'' which crossed

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

from south to north coming from Spain and going to

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

. Crossing Antony from east to west is the A86 autoroute which, since 1996, follows the route of National Road RN186 which itself traced the route of the road opened by

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

. The A86 is heavily used by Parisians during peak hours in the morning and late afternoon. It is a way of avoiding Paris by a peripheral route. Though it replaced the function of the RN186, the latter was retained as an urban axis. Parts of the A86 are covered or are in a tunnel at Antony. Work began there more than thirty years ago and was completed by the end of the 2000s. Due to lack of funding, construction of the southern tunnel of the A86 has currently stopped at the RER bridge. The drilling of the section between the Sub-Prefecture building and the RER bridge is still under consideration by State services. These roads have very high traffic (20,000 to 40,000 vehicles per day) and cause nuisance to local residents. It is expected that eventually the RD920 will be converted into an urban boulevard. Antony is also served by the A10 autoroute with an exit to join the RN20 and to enter through the south of the city.

Bicycle paths and pedestrian areas

In November 1989 a bike path running through the city inside the Green Belt was built for a length of . Since 9 October 2005 it has been possible to cycle inside the Parc de Sceaux, an area dependent on Hauts-de-Seine department but partly in Antony. Given the density of traffic and as intended by PLU, a coherent easy circulation network consisting of areas limited to 30 km/h and cycling paths primarily to schools and colleges was created. A zone limited to 30 km/h is linked to a zone limited to 10 km/h: in this area priority is given to pedestrians as shown in the photo below. Expansion of areas limited to 30 km/h is underway in all areas of Antony with the aim of gradually moving the whole city to 30 km/h except for the RD920, for which a redevelopment project is proposed for the creation of cycle paths. The zones were defined in 2009 and most of the 30 km/h roads are accessible in both directions for cyclists.

Communal Transport

Antony is connected to the RER network through six stations: ;five stations on the RER Line B These are, from north to south: * Parc de Sceaux * La Croix de Berny * Antony * Fontaine Michalon * Les Baconnets The first three stations are in zone 3 for the

navigo pass The Navigo card () is a contactless smart card used to travel on public transport in Paris and Île-de-France. The card is based on the Calypso (electronic ticketing system), Calypso standard, initially implemented with Radio-frequency identifica ...

, the other two are in zone 4. Antony station is the most important and was completely rebuilt and returned to service in June 2002. It includes both the station for RER line B, the terminus for 13 bus routes and the terminal of Orlyval. A taxi rank and two bicycle parking garages are nearby. Approximately 25,000 passengers pass through this transport axis every day. ;Chemin d'Antony A station on RER Line C in zone 4. Many bus routes connect Antony to Paris and neighbouring communes via bus networks in the

: *10 routes of RATP bus network: TVM, 119, 196, 197, 286, 297, 319, 379, 395, and 396; *8 routes of the ''Paladin'' bus network: 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 12, and 13; *2 routes of the ''Daniel Meyer'' bus network: DM151 and DM152; *2 routes of Noctilien: N21 and N71 Since 21 July 2007 the city of Antony has been served by the ''Trans-Val-de-Marne'' (Tvm) through the RER station of La Croix de Berny. This rapid transit bus service has its own

Bus lane A bus lane or bus-only lane is a lane restricted to buses, generally to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion. The related term busway describes a roadway completely dedicated for use by buses, whilst ...

s and links Antony to the Saint-Maur-Créteil railway station providing access to the limits of the region to the east such as

Créteil Créteil () is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Créteil is the ''préfecture'' (capital) of the Val-de-Marne Departments of France, dep ...

, the Rungis International Market, The Belle Épine commercial centre, and Choisy-le-Roi. Planned for 2020, the Antony-Clamart Tramway will connect La Croix de Berny railway station to Clamart - Place du Garde.

Rail transport

By RER Line B Antony is near Paris railway stations. Through Antony station the

Gare du Nord The Gare du Nord (; ), officially Paris Nord, is one of the seven large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. The station is served by trains that run between the capital and northern France via the Paris–Lille railway, as well ...

and the Gare de Lyon can be reached in 28 minutes (direct connection to the RER) and the

Gare Saint-Lazare The Gare Saint-Lazare (; ), officially Paris Saint Lazare, is one of the seven large mainline List of Paris railway stations, railway station terminals in Paris, France. It was the first railway station built in Paris, opening in 1837. It mostly ...

railway station in 32 minutes. Antony is also very close to the Massy TGV railway station which can be reached in 5 minutes by RER. This station has the distinction of being both one of the new stations of Île-de-France served by inter-provincial TGV and also a new station for the LGV Atlantique radial line. Thus certain trains serve both the Paris-Montparnasse railway station and this station which makes it useful for going to Paris to take the TGV.

RER line C RER C is one of the five lines in the Réseau Express Régional (English: Regional Express Network), a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris and its suburbs. The line crosses the region from north to south. Briefly, betwee ...

also passes through Antony (the Massy-Pontoise branch) but it is significantly underutilized as serving suburbs because of its simultaneous use as a connecting link for the TGV between the South-West network and the North network as well as having many heavy freight trains. Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) has proposed the creation of a third line on the right of way to facilitate the coexistence of three types of rail traffic, but in the absence of specific guarantees of soundproofing measures the project has been rejected both by the residents' associations and by the Antony council.

Air transport and airport access

Antony is near

Orly Airport Paris Orly Airport (, ) is one of two international airports serving Paris, France, the other one being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). It is located partially in Orly and partially in Villeneuve-le-Roi, south of Paris. It serves as a sec ...

. Since 2 October 1991 it can be reached in seven minutes by Orlyval, a narrow-gauge light railway of VAL type from the Antony RER B railway station. The use of this line is provided by RATP and it has special pricing that does not include it in the package for the

Navigo pass The Navigo card () is a contactless smart card used to travel on public transport in Paris and Île-de-France. The card is based on the Calypso (electronic ticketing system), Calypso standard, initially implemented with Radio-frequency identifica ...

Town planning

Urban Morphology

INSEE divided the commune into four "large quarters" called Croix de Berny, Rabats, Baconnets, and Centre-ville which were themselves cut into 27 grouped blocks for statistical information. Antony revised its local urban plan (PLU)On POS at PLU
, Official Antony website, consulted on 8 April 2012 . in 2007 based on the findings of a survey conducted in 2004 among residents and the results have been an organisation and sustainable development plan (PADD). The development of this PLU ended with the adoption of the final draft by a vote of the City Council on 30 May 2008. The main direction for the PLU was a balanced urban development, a dynamic economy, developing public facilities, and to preserve a framework for a quality living environment with improved movement of people. This vision has however been challenged by a preceding public inquiry. The municipality indicated that the city enjoyed a lifestyle that should be preserved: a rich natural heritage, green spaces, a diverse architectural heritage (the old stone quarry, individual

art nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

houses,

art deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

and modern architecture), an ancient well-developed heart with many rows of trees and woodlands but, paradoxically, part of the suburban area was transferred into a zone where dense building development became possible.PLU: report of the Commissioners-Investigators (Vol. 1)
, PS section of Antony website, consulted on 8 April 2012 . The PLU (the subject of a draft amendment in 2012)Public Enquiry - Plan for modification of the PLU
, Official Antony website, consulted on 8 April 2012 . defined the segmentation of the commune into 9 districts: Croix de Berny / La Fontaine, Coulée verte, Centre-ville / Hôtel de ville, Centre-ville / Mounié, Pajeaud, Paul-Bert, Noyer-Doré / Baconnets, Rabats, and Industrial Zones. Antony has of streets of which are local roads, departmental and national roads for which the city is responsible for maintenance, and of private roads.

Housing

To cope with the increasing number of people since the 1950s two interesting ''Castors'' (self-construction cooperative) experiments took place in Antony in 1953 and 1954.''Life in Antony'', Official Municipal Bulletin, Antony, Monthly review, No. 173, June 2003 The ''Castor'' was responsible to build his own home there and to pay close attention. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, before the housing shortage, the French decided to build their own houses by joining in anonymous cooperative societies. Thus companies were created, such as "The Cricket of Île-de-France" and "The Castors of Bièvre". In 1953, the ''Company of Counters'' of

Montrouge Montrouge () is a Communes of France, commune in the southern Parisian suburbs, located from the centre of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. After a long period of decline, the population has increased agai ...

which had allotments at Antony (located behind the square Marc Sangnier on the border with Fresnes) offered its employees to sell the land at a nominal price. Nearly 150 houses were built between 1953 and 1957. Their owners were fully invested in these constructions, working on weekends and after their workday. The rules were very strict: rest was only allowed one Sunday per month and only during a week of paid leave. The allocation of houses to employees was made by lot, one each until every house was built. Many houses are still occupied by the original ''Castor''. Maisons vignerons

The housing seen in Antony today represents a diversified heritage: ancient houses in quarry stone, individual

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

house,

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

houses, and contemporary architecture. Buildings built in the 1960s are being renovated while in recent years small buildings have replaced the old houses along the RD920 (ex-RN20) to achieve a continuous frontage. In a survey by the weekly ''

Le Point ''Le Point'' () is a French weekly political and conservative news magazine published in Paris. It is one of the three major French news magazines. ''Le Point'' was founded in 1972 by former journalists of ''L'Express'' and quickly rose to be ...

'' on the cities of France "where we saw the best", Antony is very well ranked in almost all areas studied, notably in first position for housing. In 2017 in Antony there were 28,841 housing units including 26,734 primary homes or 92.7% of all dwellings. Second homes and casual accommodation numbered 424 units or 1.5% of the total. The number of vacant houses totaled 1,684 or 5.8%. Of all of these units there were 9,275 individual houses (32.2%) and 19,394 units in shared buildings (67.2%).Dossier complet, Commune d'Antony (92002)
29 June 2020, INSEE website, consulted on 2 September 2020 . The average number of occupants per dwelling decreased sharply: 3.24 in 1968, 2.65 in 1982 and 2.43 in 1999. The number of households of one or two persons increased between 1982 and 1999 and had an influence on the consumption of housing land, especially in the outer areas. Thus as the number of households increases the commune needs more housing to accommodate the same number of inhabitants. Antony-grands immeubles

The primary residences are relatively recent: in 2017, 2,731 units or 10.4% predated 1945, 9,035 dated from the period between 1946 and 1970 (34.4%); 7,337 dated from 1971 to 1990 (27.9%), and 4,042 dated from 1991 to 2005 (15.4%). As for the number of rooms in these houses, 7.4% had one room, 14.4% had two rooms, 27.6% had three rooms, 23.1% had four rooms, and 27.5% had five or more rooms. In Antony the average price of real estate for sale in 2008 was about 4,270 euros/m2 and the average price of property for rent was EUR 17.39/m2/month. The suburban area covers of the city with a coefficient of occupation of land of 0.7. The municipality claims to be seeking to enforce a rule of 20% social housing but the communal social housing policy was challenged by an inter-ministerial mission during the summer of 2008. Many projects to rehabilitate social housing are underway but since 1990 there has been more destruction of social housing than creation. This is particularly the case in the construction of the "Grand Ensemble", "Parvis" (Breuil, Bièvre), "White City", and "Guillebaud City". The municipality also highlighted the renovation of buildings along the RD920 (ex RN20) to promote a continuous frontage and dormant urbanisation spaces which is presented as an attempt to maintain the number of inhabitants despite the national trend of decline in the number of people per family.

Development projects

The two main urbanisation operations in Antony are in the quarter of Croix-de-Berny and Noyer-Doré. Organized by the law No. 2003-710 of 1 August 2003. The national urban renewal program provided an unprecedented national effort to renovate districts in difficulty. It is in this context that the Noyer-Dore district, in the south of Antony, is under renovation. The PLU also provided for two new urban developments: the development of the Bas-Graviers/Crocheteurs district along the A86 and to the east of the city, the development of the Cemagref land near the Descartes school. The development work in Croix de Berny began in the 1970s with the creation of the A86 then its partial covering. Important work has been undertaken to extend to 2 lanes the 2 tunnels on the A86, its extension to 2 lanes in 3 tunnels is envisaged. The land near the square, which was occupied until 1989 by the sub-prefecture, was ceded to the city of Antony who built office buildings. The layout of the site itself began in the 2000s by installing a fountain in diameter whose style and cost have been variously appreciated. The roofing of the A86 was provisionally completed in 2008. State services are currently working on the completion of the project "Tube South-west" which should finally complete the doubling of the tunnel of Croix de Berny commissioning with two lanes in three tunnels. The renovation of the district of Noyer-Dore, planned for a decade, began in March 2001 with the destruction of several buildings (including "The Big L" built in the 1960s). This district, always characterized by geographic isolation from the rest of the commune and a deficit in public facilities and shops, is part of the sensitive urban zone called "The Grand ensemble", a zone spread across the communes of Antony and Massy.

Toponymy

It was in a confirmation by King

Louis I Louis I may refer to: Cardinals * Louis I, Cardinal of Guise (1527–1578) Counts * Ludwig I, Count of Württemberg (c. 1098–1158) * Louis I of Blois (1172–1205) * Louis I of Flanders (1304–1346) * Louis I of Châtillon (died 13 ...

the Pious made for the monks of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in 829, that the toponym ''Antony'' is mentioned for the first time as ''Antoniacum'' meaning "estate of Antonius", a

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

landowner. Then it was attested in the forms: ''Anthoniaco'', ''Anthognyaco'', ''Antongni'', ''Antoni'', and ''Antony'' from the 18th century with the exception of a brief period during the French Revolution when it took the name of ''Antony-Révolution''.Collective work, ''Antony, from its origin to modern times'', éd. Connaissance d'Antony, Antony, 1987, p. 21. The known origin of the city dates back to the 3rd century. The name ''Antony'' is a Gallo-Roman formation and comes from the Latin anthroponym ''Antonius'' (giving ''Antoine'', worn by a native), followed by the suffix ''-acum'' of Gallic origin. A Homonym with Antogny, Antoigné, and Antoigny all of which toponyms date back to the

''*ANTONIACU''.

History

. Antony has a long history, dating from the 3rd century in the

era. Its history merges with that of the Royal Domain formed in the 10th century by the Capetian kings, which gave rise to the

region.

Prehistoric and Gallo-Roman era

In prehistoric times people settled along the edges of the plateau overlooking the valley. The remains of their settlements are still visible in the ''Bois de Verrières''. The selection of sites was from the beginning conditioned by water and access. The village that later gave birth to Antony was installed in a location conducive to human settlement: a hillside site with many advantages—easy to protect because of its height with richer soil than that on the plateau and in an area not subject to flooding as it was above the marshes but at the level of water sources that rise from the green marl. The many fountains in Rue de l'Eglise and the Avenue du Bois-de-Verrières and the place names (Sources, Gouttieres) attest to the existence of this

Water table The water table is the upper surface of the phreatic zone or zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with groundwater, which may be fresh, saline, or brackish, depending on the loc ...

. In 1852, when the cemetery was being moved from in front of the church, sarcophagi were discovered that were originally supposed to be Frankish or

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...

. It may be that people have lived around the Gallo-Roman villa since ancient times.

Antony from the 10th to the 15th centuries

From the 10th to the 15th century the

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

ship of Antony was one of the main dependencies of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The location at Antony had a ford called ''Pont-aux-Ânes'' (Bridge of the Asses) from Roman and medieval times. This hillside location provided Antony with a connection with

Montlhéry Montlhéry () is a Communes of France, commune in the Essonne Departments of France, department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located from Paris. History Montlhéry lay on the strategically important road from Paris to Orléans. U ...

, a stronghold which monitored the southern approaches to Paris. Antony also had a small fortress, the ''Tour d'Argent'' (Tower of Silver) which was located in the upper part of the village in a position overlooking the ford and possibly serving a defensive function. In 1042, the King of France, Henri I, accorded the abbot of Saint-Germain des Près "an altar dedicated to Saint Saturnin and located in the territory of Paris, in the jurisdiction called Paris". Roue du moulin

In 1177 in recognition of the importance of the village Antony chapel became a parish church. The people were then all

serf Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed du ...

s of the Abbey. City dwellers then began to get communal

Charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...

s and those campaigns began the great liberation movement that led to the emancipation of the serfs. The decisive date was in 1248: Thomas de Mauleon, the Abbot of Saint-Germain des Près, freed his serfs in Antony and Verrières. Many expenses still faced these farmers: they had to pay an annual rent,

tithe A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Modern tithes are normally voluntary and paid in money, cash, cheques or v ...

s for the mills, ovens, and presses, and also provide

Corvée Corvée () is a form of unpaid forced labour that is intermittent in nature, lasting for limited periods of time, typically only a certain number of days' work each year. Statute labour is a corvée imposed by a state (polity), state for the ...

s or unpaid labour, such as cleaning the Bièvre every three years. The

Kings of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...

had the right of accommodation in Antony. Under Louis IX there were lawsuits against people who refused to submit to this law. They were condemned. During the 14th and 15th centuries Antony had troubles from the Hundred Years War then the

Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War The Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War was a conflict between two cadet branches of the French royal family: the House of Orléans ( Armagnac faction) and the House of Burgundy ( Burgundian faction) from 1407 to 1435. It began during a lull in t ...

: plagues, famine and devastation. At the end of this long period, the Abbey was crushed by debt and the region was emptied of its inhabitants. There were only 100 inhabitants left in Antony at the end of the wars. In 1346 King Philip of Valois, on his way to the feast of the Assumption, camped in Antony believing that

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

, King of England, would pass through there on his way to

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

. The prince waited in vain for two days, the King of England having passed through

Poissy Poissy () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Inhabitan ...

heading towards

Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; ) is a town and Communes of France, commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise Departments of France, département, in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, north of Paris. The Communes of France, commune o ...

The opening up (16th to 18th centuries)

The road from

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and François I: it crossed the Bièvre at the ''Pont d'Antony'' from which a path led to the centre of the village near the church of Saint-Saturnin. The development of this road led to the development of the city. In 1545 François I, while at prayers with Cardinal de Tournon, Commendatory abbot of Saint Germain, gave

letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

for the establishment of fairs at Antony on Thursday after

Pentecost Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter Day, Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spiri ...

and on Saint Catherine's day (25 November) as well as a market every Thursday. The famous top-quality candle maker Trudon was established here in 1737 after buying the business established in 1702 from Pean de Saint Gilles, wax supplier to the King. At the end of the 17th century and early in the 18th century, Antony became a holiday town close to Paris: La Fontaine and

Charles Perrault Charles Perrault ( , , ; 12 January 162816 May 1703) was a French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tales, published in his ...

took their summer quarters there. This is also the period during which many mansions were built by notable Parisian who came to Antony for the countryside just outside Paris. Most mansions still remained in the middle of the 20th century: the old castle, the property of the actor François Molé, the

folly In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting through its appearance some other purpose, or of such extravagant appearance that it transcends the range of usual garden buildings. Eighteenth-cent ...

of the Castries family in Heller Park now demolished but an outbuilding remains, the house of the ''Belle Levantine'' (now the Maison Saint-Jean), the property of the Ladies of Saint Raphael, and the property of Ballainvilliers purchased in 1860 by the surgeon Alfred Velpeau.

Development in the 19th century

Antony remained predominantly agricultural until the early 20th century. Le Petit Journal wrote in 1922: "The pretty commune of Antony is one of those, in the suburbs of Paris, where agriculture is still the most thriving". The city was known for its

coaching inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of t ...

for horses that welcomed travelers at the crossroads called "Croix de Berny" because it was at the intersection of the royal road, dating from the 18th century, leading from

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

to Choisy-le-Roi, and the road from

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and Sceaux line opened in 1854 then the Arpajonnais line in 1893. The building of mansions continued: the property of the Marquis of Castries was demolished and replaced in the Second Empire by Sarran Castle and Bourdeau Park whose remains have today become the ''Maison des Arts'' (Art House). Antony became the seat of numerous religious congregations. The ''Sisters of the Cross of Saint-André'' who had a girls' religious school at Antony since 1720, in 1928 became the ''Institute of the Cross'', then ''The Cross'' before being integrated into the ''Institution of Sainte-Marie of Antony'' which incorporated several religious congregations. The Marianists bought the Chénier property and installed their French seminar. Returning after their expulsion in 1903, their building became the Maison Saint-Jean, now a retreat for Marianists. In 1968 they created the ''Institution of Sainte-Marie of Antony''. CP - 1ruedeChatenay

The Redemptorists (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer) purchased the property of the surgeon Velpeau on 5 August 1889 to build their novitiate. Following the Separation of Church and State in 1905 they had to leave Antony as they were expelled on 13 June 1908. They had meanwhile built very large buildings which were taken by the Seine Department and became the Paul-Manchon day nursery. In 1890 the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny bought the buildings of the former royal manufactory of waxes. They installed a nursing home for the sisters returning from the

colonies A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their '' metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often or ...

. The main building is now a retreat for the sisters of this congregation. The ''Ladies of Saint Raphael'' settled in 1893. Their work was to host single mothers to help ensure their safe child-bearing and also ran a school founded by Father Amédée Ferrand de Missol (1805-1883), a physician who became a priest, friend and companion of Frédéric Ozanam. These religious left Antony in 1972 after creating a similar place in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. The school was closed and the association was taken over by the laity.

Development in the 20th century

The first major development in Antony was performed under the guidance of its Senator-

Augustus Mounié: the city went from 4,000 to 20,000 inhabitants. Elected mayor in 1912, he immediately attacked the problem of housing. Nicknamed in the newspaper "Le Père des mal-lotis" (The Father of the poor), he created more than forty associations of the poor to carry out sanitation of housing. He built schools, many roads, and installed street lighting. In 1940 refugees flocking to the capital to go south. The mayor organised dormitories in schools and sought to supply the refugees by any means and 7,000 Antonians remained on site out of 19,000 inhabitants. Schools were emptied: students and teachers were first sent to Savigny-sur-Braye, then

Saumur Saumur () is a Communes of France, commune in the Maine-et-Loire Departments of France, department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgu ...

, and finally Bouille-Loretz. On 14 June 1940 the Germans come into town and used the stadium and the Jules Ferry school as places to hold 8,000 prisoners of war. Antony was the first city in the Seine department liberated by troops of the 2nd Armoured Division of General Leclerc on 24 August 1944. The second development was a consequence of the very rapid housing construction in the early 1960s to accommodate the returnees from

. Rapid urbanization led to the construction of small buildings but also low-rise apartments such as "The Grand L" famous for its interior corridors long and a height of 11 floors which was demolished in February 2001. In 20 years, from 1955 to 1975, the population increased from 24,512 to 57,795. During this period, the city built 11 nursery and primary schools, three colleges, a school, a large stadium, five school gyms with a sports centre, a sports park, two leisure centres, a swimming pool, a city hall, and thousands of units of social housing. The new city hall is a modern work by architect Georges Felus and was inaugurated on 19 June 1970. The 1990s saw the reconstruction of the library in 1990, then in 1996 the fire station and the Conservatory of Music. The 2000s saw the end of the development work undertaken for nearly 40 years in the Croix-de-Berny quarter. This quarter, a strategic crossroads of communication (the A86, A6, A10, and near

and

RER B RER B is one of the five lines in the Réseau Express Régional (English: Regional Express Network), a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris, France and its Île-de-France suburbs. The RER B line crosses the region from no ...

), near the ''Parc de Sceaux'', was redeveloped to attract businesses and create jobs. It is predicted that 7,000 jobs will be created in this district.

Heraldry

The arms of Antony were adopted on 20 June 1919 but have since been simplified. The latest version dates to 1987. The bridge that was on the river has recently disappeared from the shield, but the motto remains: "''parvus ubi pagus fuit Urbem jam alluit unda''" meaning: "where there was a village, the river now waters a city". The original coat of arms of 1919 are officially blazoned as: "Quarterly, 1 and 4 Azure with three fleurs-de-lis of Or with an escutcheon at Fess-point Sable with three roundels Argent; 2 and 3 quarterly, 1 and 4 Gules with a column Argent, in chief (sewn) Azure a lion passant of Or, 2 and 3 Azure with three bends of Or, in chief (sewn) Azure with a lion issuant of Or; over all in Vert a bridge of Argent masoned and Ajouré in Sable over a river Argent.". In summary: the fleurs-de-lis, escutcheons, and roundels are for the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the tower evokes the old fortress overlooking the Bièvre ford; the lion is from the arms of Hugues de Lionne, first Marquis of Berny and French Foreign Minister (1663-1671).

Politics and administration

Antony is one of the two sub-prefectures of the department of

in the

region. The canton of Antony includes only two-thirds of the commune from its southern part, the rest belongs to the Canton of

. The commune of Antony since 1986 has belonged to the thirteenth electoral district of Hauts-de-Seine. Since 2006 Antony has been one of the communes that uses voting machines.

Political balance

Politically, from the early 1980s Antony has been a right-wing town. The current president of the General Council of Hauts-de-Seine and former minister, Patrick Devedjian, won four consecutive terms as

in the city of Antony. From 16 October 1983 to 30 May 2002 he ran for municipal elections as a member of the RPR. His successor as mayor, Raymond Sibille, was elected as a UMP mayor as was his successor, Jean-Yves Sénant, who was reelected in 2008. In the 2005 French European Constitution referendum, Antonians voted overwhelmingly for the

European Constitution The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE; commonly referred to as the European Constitution or as the Constitutional Treaty) was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European ...

with 63.60% for "Yes" against 36.40% for "No" with an abstention rate of 24.77% (Whole of France: 54.67% "No", 45.33% "Yes"). In the French presidential election of 2007, the first round saw

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...

with 34.86% or 11,924 votes, followed by

Ségolène Royal Ségolène Royal (; born Marie-Ségolène Royal; 22 September 1953) is a French politician who took part in the 2007 French presidential election, losing to Nicolas Sarkozy in the second round. She was the first woman in France's history to r ...

with 27.53% or 9,418 votes, then

François Bayrou François René Jean Lucien Bayrou (; born 25 May 1951) is a French politician who has served as Prime Minister of France since December 2024. He has presided over the European Democratic Party (EDP) since 2004 and the Democratic Movement (France ...

with 22.98% or 7,861 votes, and finally

Jean-Marie Le Pen Jean Louis Marie Le Pen (20 June 1928 – 7 January 2025), commonly known as Jean-Marie Le Pen (), was a French politician, lawyer and activist. He founded the far-right National Front (now National Rally) party and served as the party's presi ...

with 5.10% or 1,744 votes with no other candidate exceeding the 5% threshold. In the second round, voters voted 52.69% or 17,241 votes for Nicolas Sarkozy against 47.31% or 15,482 votes for Ségolène Royal, a result close to the national average, which was in the second round 53.06% for Nicolas Sarkozy and 46.94% for Ségolène Royal. Turnout was very high in this presidential election. There are 39,327 registered voters on the Antony electoral list and 87.05% or 34,234 voters participated in the voting. The abstention rate was 12.95% or 5,093 votes, 4.41% or 1,511 votes were blank or invalid so in total 95.59% or 32,723 votes were cast.

Municipal administration

The Antony

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

consists of the

, 13 deputy mayors, 21 municipal council delegates, and 10 municipal councilors. Thirty-five city seats on the municipal council are filled by the electoral group ''Antony for all with Jean-Yves Sénant''. The two opposition groups are ''Union for Antony'' led by François Rivet and ''Antony Plus'' led by Magali Buzelin. One municipal councilor was initially elected as a

MoDem The Democratic Movement (, ; MoDem ) is a centre to centre-right political party in France, whose main ideological trends are liberalism and Christian democracy, and that is characterised by a strong pro-Europeanist stance. MoDem was establis ...

on the ''Antony Plus'' ticket and considered by the City Council as an opposition councillor, has sat since late 2008 in an independent group and voted with the municipal majority. The current mayor is also the 1st Vice President of the Aagglomeration Community of Hauts-de-Bièvre responsible for finance. He was Regional Adviser for Île-de-France from 2004 to 2010. The Hôtel de Ville (town hall) was completed in 1970. In 2000 the municipality established the Council of Young Citizens (CJC). CJC is composed of thirty students with parity between boys and girls. They are elected by their peers in the three schools in the town: Sainte-Marie, Descartes, and Theodore Monod. Divided into three committees, these young people have a duty to reflect on questions of general interest and to propose actions to the municipality. The municipality also decided in 2008 to establish a ''Council of Seniors'' appointed by the mayor on a voluntary basis. The seats in the municipal council of Antony are allocated as follows:Elected in the opposition
, Antony official website, consulted on 22 November 2008 . In the municipal elections of March 2008, the participation rate for the first and only round was low with only 56.98% of voters. Of the 40,770 registered on electoral lists, 23,229 voted and 22,453 voters made valid votes. Jean-Yves Sénant topped the list with ''Antony for all Jean-Yves Sénant'' and was elected with an absolute majority of 52.09% or 11,696 votes. He was followed by the United list of the left led by Francis Rivet who topped the list ''Union for Antony'', who collected 29.39% of the vote or 6,599 votes. The centre-left list ''Antony Plus with you'', with its leader Jean-François Homassel, ranked third with 18.52% of the collected votes or 4,158 votes.
, RFO website, consulted on 22 November 2008 .

Mayors

List of successive

mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

;

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

from 1940

Local finance

Since the 2000s, the amount of cash flow for the commune remained well above the average for this level (communes from 50,000 to 100,000 population): Cash flow capacity per inhabitant (in euros)

Judicial and administrative jurisdiction

Antony is the seat of a

District Court District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations, some call them "small case court" usually as the lowest level of the hierarchy. These courts generally work under a higher court which exercises control over the lower co ...

. The cantons under the court's jurisdiction are the cantons of Antony, Bagneux,

, Châtenay-Malabry, Fontenay-aux-Roses,

Le Plessis-Robinson Le Plessis-Robinson () is a Communes of France, commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. , it has 29,100 inhabitants. History Plessis was first mentioned in 839 as ''Plessiacu ...

, and Sceaux. Antony is also the seat of a Police Court. Both courts are located in a building that was built in 1872 to accommodate the first school for boys. In 1927 the building was transformed into a city hall until the construction of the new city hall in 1970. Antony reports to the ''Tribunal de Grande Instance'' of

Nanterre Nanterre (; ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located some northwest of the centre of Paris. In 2018, the commune had a population of 96,807. The eastern part of Nanterre, b ...

, the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

, the

Juvenile court Juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal systems, chi ...

of Nanterre, the '' Conseil de prud'hommes'' (labour court) in

Boulogne-Billancourt Boulogne-Billancourt (; often colloquially called simply Boulogne, until 1924 Boulogne-sur-Seine, ) is a wealthy and prestigious Communes of France, commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris ...

, the Commercial Court of Nanterre, the Administrative Tribunal in Cergy-Pontoise, and the Administrative Court of Appeal of Versailles.

Environmental policy

For a long time Antony has sought to capitalize on its many green spaces. With the help of the Agglomeration Community of Hauts-de-Bièvre visits have been to different sites to discover their remarkable natural resources. The catchment area of the Bièvre has been classified as a "natural ecological, fauna and flora zone" since 1984 by the Ministry of the Environment. This area is a high quality wetland of regional interest—the most remarkable in the

department. In 1992, an ornithological observatory was established at the city's initiative on this site. 132 different species of birds have been observed between 1977 and 1993 including very rare species in Île-de-France. The entire valley to the Parc de Sceaux is registered in the inventory of natural areas of flora and fauna of ecological interest. A process of planting large trees was initiated in 2008. These trees, high and 25 years old, are planted in particular locations with the aim of them becoming remarkable trees in the third millennium. These iconic trees mark the landscape and serve as landmarks for urban planning.

Twin towns – sister cities

Antony maintains close ties with many foreign cities. It was on 18 February 1985 that the first French city to sign a twinning agreement with the Afghan resistance against the Soviet invasion during the war in Afghanistan (1979-1989) was signed. It united Antony with Paghman, a district on the outskirts of

Kabul Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...

but has not been pursued with the new authorities. The René Descartes School of Antony organizes annual exchanges between Antony and its two twin towns: Lexington in the United States and Reinickendorf in Germany. Antony is twinned with: * Antelias, Lebanon (2018) * Collegno, Italy (1961) * Davtashen (Yerevan), Armenia (2015) * Eleftheroupoli, Greece (2000) * Hammam-Lif, Tunisia (1969) *

Lewisham Lewisham ( ) is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the Historic counties of England, historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in ...

, England, United Kingdom (1967) * Lexington, United States (1990) *

Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...

, Czech Republic (1995) * Protvino, Russia * Reinickendorf (Berlin), Germany (1966) *

Sderot Sderot (, , ; , sometimes Romanized as "Sederot") is a western Negev city and former development town in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel. In , it had a population of . Sderot is located less than a mile from Gaza St ...

, Israel (1984)

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Antoniens'' or ''Antoniennes'' in French.

Distribution of Age Groups

The population of the town is relatively young. The proportion of people above age 60 (23.2%) is lower than the national rate (25.5%) but above the departmental rate (19.9%). As for the national and departmental proportions, the female population of the commune is higher (52.2%) than the male population. Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Antony and Hauts-de-Seine Department in 2017 Source: INSEEÉvolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune d'Antony (92002)
/ref>

Economy

The town has a branch of the Paris Chamber of Commerce.

Incomes of the population and taxation

In 2004, 818 households in Antony were liable for the

Solidarity tax on wealth The solidarity tax on wealth (, ISF) was an annual direct wealth tax on those in France having assets in excess of €1,300,000 (since 2011). It was one of the Socialist Party's 1981 electoral platform's measures, 110 Propositions for France. Fi ...

(ISF) and the average amount of this tax in Antony was €3,857 per year against €5,683 per year for the national average. The average wealth of Antonians liable for ISF was €1,295,062. In 2008, there were 1,463 households in Antony liable for the

(ISF) and the average amount of this tax in Antony was €3,634 per year and the average wealth of Antonians liable for ISF was €1,406,852. In 2010 the median household income tax was €42,583, placing Antony at 1456th out of the 31,525 communes in France with more than 39 households.

Employment

The commune of Antony is part of the employment zone of

. The total working population of the commune is 30,758. The rate of employment between 15 and 64 years old is 70.4%. There are 2,793 unemployed. In 2017 Antony had an unemployment rate of 9.1% which was lower than the national average which was 13.9%. The commune has an Employment centre for job searching.

Enterprises and businesses

On 31 December 2015 the total number of establishments was 4,991, distributed as follows by business segment: 10 (0.2%) in agriculture (agriculture, forestry and fishing), 150 (3.0%) in industry, 352 (7.1%) in construction, 3,533 (70.8%) in trade, transport and other services of which 633 (12.7%) were in trade and car repairs, and finally 946 (19.0%) in the areas of public administration, education, health, and social action. The main areas of activity and research present in Antony are: *The Cemagref or Research Institute for Agricultural Engineering and the Environment (originally the National Centre of Agricultural Machinery, Rural Engineering, Water and Forestry) was created in Paris in 1944 and moved to Antony in 1956. Since then, many centres have been established in the provinces. The centre in Antony particularly specialises in water quality. *The

Sanofi Sanofi S.A. is a French Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in Paris, France. The corporation was established in 1973 and merged with Synthélabo in 1999 to form Sanofi-Synthélabo. In 200 ...

company, previously Sanofi-Aventis, created a research centre devoted to chemistry at Antony in 1952. This centre was established on an area of 6

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

s which was occupied by vegetable crops near the Croix de Berny. This centre was completely renovated between 1984 and 1988 on the plans of architects A. Chamussi and Alexandre Chemetoff. In September 2011 the group announced the regrouping, planned for 2014, of its commercial activities onto three sites (Paris, Massy, and Gentilly) which would imply the closure of the Antony site. *''Antonypole'' is a business park consisting of an old industrial area built in the south of the city in 1970 and a former high-tech park built in 1980. In 2008, this business park included large institutions in the areas of health, research, and precision electronics, such as: Dräger Medical,

Essilor Essilor International is a French multinational corporation specialized in the design, manufacture and sale of ophthalmic lenses, optical equipment and instruments. It is the world's largest manufacturer of ophthalmic lenses. Founded in 197 ...

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational technology conglomerate. It is focused on industrial automation, building automation, rail transport and health technology. Siemens is the largest engineering company in Europe, and holds the positi ...

, Stallergenes, Air Liquide Medical Systems, Vannier Photolec etc. Priority is given today to the installation of high value-added businesses wishing to settle in the south of Paris. *The crossroads of Croix de Berny where several companies settled in 2008 includes the headquarters of the Pomona company and Chronopost.

Verisure Verisure (formerly known as Securitas Direct) is a security company based in Versoix, close to Geneva in Switzerland and active in 17 countries in Europe and South America. Hellman & Friedman is currently the main shareholder in the group. The na ...

set up its headquarters here in 2020. Antony market dates back to François I who, in 1545, instituted weekly fairs on Thursdays in Antony. It was moved from the footpaths on Rue Mounié to the Firmin Gémier Square and settled on the site of the city centre in 1957. This is one of the two most important markets in the south of Paris. The grand hall was completely rebuilt between 2003 and 2006.

Facilities

Education

Antony is in the Academy of Versailles.

Schools

The city administers 15

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

s and 13 communal

elementary schools A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

serving approximately 5,300 children and whose names come from districts (La Fontaine, Les Rabats, Noyer-Doré, Val-de-Bièvre) or illustrious men (

Paul Bert Paul Bert (17 October 1833 – 11 November 1886) was a French zoologist, physiologist and politician. He is sometimes given the nickname "Father of Aviation Medicine". Life Bert was born at Auxerre ( Yonne). He studied law, earning a doctorate ...

, Edmond Blanguernon, Ferdinand Buisson, André Chénier, André Dunoyer de Segonzac,

Jules Ferry Jules François Camille Ferry (; 5 April 183217 March 1893) was a French statesman and republican philosopher. He was one of the leaders of the Opportunist Republicans, Moderate Republicans and served as Prime Minister of France from 1880 to 18 ...

Anatole France (; born ; 16 April 1844 – 12 October 1924) was a French poet, journalist, and novelist with several best-sellers. Ironic and skeptical, he was considered in his day the ideal French man of letters.Jean Moulin, Adolphe Pajeaud, André Pasquier, Alfred Velpeau, and Jean Zay). The department manages five colleges and the Île-de-France region two schools. The Anne Frank College building, built in 1978–1980, is a very original building, the result of "politics of models": the municipality had to choose one of the models the Ministry proposed and asked two architects (

Jean Nouvel Jean Nouvel (; born 12 August 1945) is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of ''Mars 1976'' and ''Syndicat de l'Architecture'', France’s first labor union for architects. He has ob ...

and Gilbert Lézenès) to adapt the model according to their creative inspiration and constraints of the terrain. Antony also three private schools: the ''Ozar Hatorah Jewish School'', the ''New School of Antony'' whose teaching methods rely on the contributions of active methods of teaching by project and institutional teaching, and the ''Institution Sainte-Marie of Antony'' which is a Catholic private school under contract of association with the State and run by the Marianists that has had 3,200 students for several years, making it France's largest private institution.

Higher Education

Antony is the seat of the ''Arc en Ciel - Jean Trubert'' School, a private higher technical school specializing in training in illustration and comics. ''Arc en Ciel - Jean Trubert'' School initiated the creation of the diploma course "Certification of cartoonist and illustrator" which is registered at the ''

Répertoire national des certifications professionnelles In France, the ''Répertoire national des certifications professionnelles'' (RNCP) (in English: National Professional Qualifications Register) has been created by article L. 335-6 of the ''Code de l'éducation'' (Education Code). The ''répertoire ...

'' (NCPR). This diploma recognized by the State for Level III sanctioned training of two or three years. Two '' Institut Universitaire de Formation des Maîtres'' have been established in Antony: the IUFM Val-de-Bièvre and the IUFM Léon Jouhaux. All disciplines for teaching at professional schools are prepared on the training site of IUFM of Antony Jouhaux. Moreover, thanks to its hotel and restaurant-supply department, it prepares courses and teaching for jobs in hotels. The IUFM Val de Bièvre, meanwhile, was closed down in September 2011, only the COSOM (group of gyms) is still active. Antony is known for its Jean-Zay university residence whose existence is regularly questioned: Patrick Devedjian, the mayor of Antony for 20 years, saw it as a "cyst". Planned in 1945 its construction was decided on in 1952. With 2,500 rooms, it is one of Europe's largest student housing complexes. Open to the students from 1 December 1955, it initially offered 1,580 individual rooms (including 1,040 rooms for boys and 540 rooms for girls), 490 apartments for couples, and many common areas (a library, an auditorium, a sports complex, workrooms). The buildings are spread over ten acres between the town centre and Sceaux Park. From the outset the residence welcomed students from around the world. At the height of its activity, it had three kindergartens, a school, a supermarket, and 50 different nationalities. The new sub-prefecture buildings were constructed in 1989 partly on the grounds of the residence after the demolition of one of its main buildings. The new local plan adopted in 2008 creates a "placeholder" in the hands of the RUA to create an avenue between the city centre and the Parc de Sceaux: achieving this project would result in the demolition of at least one building of the Residence. This project is very controversial because of the shortage of student accommodation in Île-de-France. In 2008, the Minister for Universities and President of the General Council of Hauts-de-Seine considered the "transfer" of the RUA, which the student union strongly opposed. In 2009, the property of the RUA was transferred to the Agglomeration Community of Hauts-de-Bièvre. In 2010, the buildings were demolished. In 2011, the municipality of Antony and the Agglomeration of Hauts-de-Bièvre presented a plan to reorganise the right-of-way by

Health

Antony has some of the best healthcare in Île-de-France: both in number of general practitioners (2nd in the region with 1.52 physicians to 1,000 inhabitants) and specialists (3rd in the region with 2.19 for 1,000 inhabitants). Antony has a modern private hospital built in 2002. It brings together a range of services over an area of 30,000 m2 and provides (as at 1 April 2010) a capacity of 417 beds which makes it the largest private hospital in Île-de-France. This hospital resulted from the successive mergers of clinics in the area: *the ''House of Health of Antony'' *the ''Clinic of Fresnes'' *the ''Clinic of la Providence'' in Antony *the ''Clinique Ambroise-Pare'' in Bourg-la-Reine *the ''Clinic of Millers'' in Bagneux *the ''Clinic of the Parc'' in Bourg-la-Reine *the ''Clinic of the Bois de Verrières'' in Antony *the ''Clinic of Hauts-de-Seine'' *the ''Maternity Clinic of Valleys'' in Chatenay-Malabry The new hospital opened on 28 November 2002 and was inaugurated on 14 May 2003 by Jean-François Mattei, Minister of Health, and Patrick Devedjian, Minister for Local Liberties. It employs 740 staff and 250 private doctors in 30 specialities. Antony also has the ''Erasmus'' public health facility. This psycho-therapeutic hospital is built in a 5.5-hectare park and opened its doors on 17 May 1982 in new premises. Since 1993 it has included 21 associated institutions from Île-de-France. This hospital specializes in the treatment of mental disorders in all ages. It aims primarily to accommodate the residents from the centre and south of the Hauts-de-Seine department. The tasks assigned to it are varied: prevention, diagnosis, care, teaching, and research. It employs 600 staff. Besides these two hospitals Antony has two specialised educational institutions: The ''Elizabeth Centre of Panouse-Debré'' (motor rehabilitation for very young children with physical disabilities) and the ''Psychotherapeutic Specialised Teaching Centre'' for children with serious mental disorders. There are also several specialised institutions such as the ''Alcoholic Cure Centre'' (alcohol and tobacco).

Sports

Numerous sports associations are grouped under the Antony Sports Council. There are 40 disciplines in 40 halls and stadiums with the main venues being: *the ''Municipal Stadium Georges-Suant'' (formerly called the ''Stadium

Salvador Allende Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 1970 until Death of Salvador Allende, his death in 1973 Chilean coup d'état, 1973. As a ...

'') at Croix de Berny: *''Heller Park'' *the ''Velpeau stadium'' *the ''Lionel Terray sports centre'' *the ''Pierre de Coubertin gymnasium'' *the ''Rabats gymnasium'' *the ''La Fontaine gymnasium'' *the ''André Malraux Centre'' *the ''Jacques Cadet enclosiure'' *the ''Anatole France gymnasium'' *the ''Pajeaud gymnasium'' *6 basketball courts with free access *sports facilities in the Parc de Sceaux *halls and tennis courts in the University Residence *the Pony Club *a bowling alley *a skate Park *3 swimming pools (Lionel-Terray, Iris, Grenouillère) Every year in July, Antony organises an International Disabled sports tournament in the Parc de Sceaux (Grenouillère) which attracts the best players in the world. Among the sports clubs at the end of the 2011–2012 season ''Antony Athletics 92'', with 492 members and had 5 sections, moved to N1C (among 60 best French clubs) which made it the 2nd club in Hauts-de-Seine, 9th in Île-de-France and 69th of 1729 in the national rankings. The ''Antony Sports Rugby'' club plays in

Fédérale 3 Fédérale 3 is the seventh division of rugby union in France. The competition involves 226 clubs in 21 pools of 8, and winners can progress up into higher division of competition. The competition above Fédérale 3 is Fédérale 2 and above that, ...

. The ''Antony Sport Football Association'', founded in 1948, is an official partner of the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club and plays in the regional football league (DSR). Antony - Tour de France 2006

In 1928 at the sports complex called ''Stadium of the croix de Berny'' or "Sports Union Metropolitan": Gaston Vrolix, chief engineer of the RATP, created the Metropolitan Sports Union (currently USMT). He built a sports complex on the site of part of the former racetrack at La Croix de Berny where he transformed stables into locker rooms. The first phase was started in 1928 along the RN186 and included: football, rugby, hockey, basketball, tennis, a swimming pool, playground, gym, and a shooting range. The second phase was built around 1932 to the north: rugby pitches, tennis courts, and an athletic stadium. The third phase included a fronton for

basque pelota Basque pelota (Basque: '' pilota'', Spanish: '' pelota vasca'', French: '' pelote basque'') is the name for a variety of court sports played with a ball using one's hand, a racket, a wooden bat or a basket, against a wall (''frontis or fronto ...

and a velodrome was built in 1938 by a Dutch architect (a replica in concrete of the wooden Vigorelli track in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

). This velodrome had to be rebuilt to accommodate cycling events in case the city of Paris was chosen for the 1992 Summer Olympics. The new local plan, adopted in 2008, includes the construction in a portion of this site of office buildings to finance the rehabilitation of all sports facilities of the USMT. The rugby team Racing Métro 92 was born from the collaboration of the Racing Club de France and the U.S. METRO which played its matches in the

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the National Rugby League (France), France National Rugby League, also ...

Colombes Colombes () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France, from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. In 2019, Colombes was the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 53rd largest city in France. ...

and trained at the Croix de Berny for several years before recently joining

. The

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

passed through the streets of Antony in July 1999, July 2007, and in 2010. It was a "stage-town" for the beginning of the 20th stage of the Tour in 2006.

Media

Besides the traditional "paper" version, since October 2006 the city has published the magazine in an audio version (on CD) for the blind or visually impaired. A wired network distributing radio broadcasting services and television has covered the city since 1988. Following the advent of

digital terrestrial television Digital terrestrial television (DTTV, DTT, or DTTB) is a technology for terrestrial television, in which television stations broadcast television content in a digital signal, digital format. Digital terrestrial television is a major technologica ...

, the CSA has chosen channels to broadcast via TNT-Île-de-France: channel 21 sharing Demain IDF, BDM TV, Cinaps TV, Télé Bocal; channel 22 IDF1; channel 23 NRJ Paris (ex-LTF); and channel 24 Cap 24 (ex-Côté Seine). Since 24 September 2007 the commune can also receive through TNT the Group France Télévisions chain:

France Ô France Ô () was a French free-to-air television channel featuring programming from the French overseas departments and collectivities in Metropolitan France. It was part of the France Télévisions group. It was a national counterpart of the ...

, available on channel 20. In October 2007 Antony communes established a Wi-Fi network: internet terminals are accessible to all and allow free connection in various public places. Antony has several local newspapers. The weekly newspaper ''Antony-Hebdo'' is the newspaper of the municipal opposition led by André Aubry, a former senator for Hauts-de-Seine and former PCF mayor of Antony. This newspaper is allowed to publish judicial and legal notices in the Arrondissement of Antony. The periodical ''Présence'' (Journal of Catholic communities of Antony) is distributed three times a year in all mailboxes. One of the groups of the municipal opposition ''Antony Plus'' publishes ''Antony Public Place'' (formerly: ''Agora''). Three times a year a local association publishes the ''Journal de la Fontaine St-Ex'' The "Primaveras" Association publishes a monthly newspaper in the Marne quarter.

Religion

Antony has

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, and

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

places of worship.

Catholic worship

Since January 2010 Antony commune has been part of the

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...

of Pointe Sud, one of the nine deaneries of the Diocese of Nanterre. Within this deanery, the places of Catholic worship relate to the four

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

es of Montrouge. Places of worship are: *for the parish of Saint-Saturnin: the Church of Saint-Saturnin, the Sainte-Odile Church, Chapel of Saint Mary Mother of the Church *for the parish of Saint-Francis:Parish of Saint-Jean-Porte-Latine
Deanery of Antony website, consulted on 17 January 2009 . the church of St. Francis *for the parish of Saint-Jean-Porte-latine: the church of Saint-Jean-Porte-Latine and the Chapel Sainte-Jeanne de Chantal *for the parish of Saint-Maxime: Church Saint-Maxime. Also places of worship exist within religious communities located in Antony: * Little Sisters of the Assumption *the Marianists * Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny * Sisters of Saint-Raphaël (Our Lady of Charity) Finally there is a community of Vietnamese sisters.

Protestant worship

An Evangelical Baptist Church brings together the

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

community in Antony. Neighbouring communes have places of worship for the communities related to the Reformed Church of France (in Chatenay-Malabry) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of France (in

Jewish worship

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

managed by the Jewish Consistory of Paris Association is located in Antony.

Muslim worship

The Cultural Association of Muslims of Antony administers a mosque in Antony and the Ismaili Cultural Association of Antony has a prayer hall.

Tenrikyo worship

A Tenrikyo temple of worship is present at Antony. Tenrikyo is an ideological and religious movement from Japan. It is considered by the info-sects website to be a Buddhist sect.

Sites and monuments

A large number of buildings and sites are registered as historical monuments. Below are some of the highlights of the heritage of Antony.

Civil Heritage

The former Royal Manufactory of Waxes (1714)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée whose exact name was ''Manufacture d'Antony pour le blanchissage des cires & la fabrique des bougies'' (Manufacture of Antony for laundering of waxes & candle factory) is located at 14 Avenue du Bois-de-Verrières. The factory was founded in 1702 by ''Péan de Saint-Gilles'' and it became a royal factory in 1719. Its motto was ''Deo, regique laborant'' meaning "they (the drones) work for God and the King. The original building was built in 1714 where wax and tallow candles were produced for the Court of Versailles and other castles in the area. The enterprise left Antony for

and still exists under the name of "Cire Trudon". The building is now occupied by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny who settled there in 1890. The factory was built on this site to use the high quality water from the rivers which allowed candles to be produced with an exceptional whiteness. Maison StJean

The Maison Saint-Jean (House of Saint John) (1806)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée is a former ''Chénier property'' called ''La Belle Levantine''. This building was built by Louis-Sauveur Chénier, the youngest son of Louis Chénier, and brother of André Chénier from plans by architect Georges Auguste Ranchon. In 1820 the house was purchased by Jean-Charles Persil, a Minister under

Louis-Philippe Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

, who died in 1870. In 1880, it became the property of four Parisian priests who, in 1898, built a building of brick and stone to serve as a Marianist seminary. After the expulsion of the Marianists the building was transformed into a guesthouse. The property was bought by the Marianists in 1965 to build the buildings for the ''Institution Sainte-Marie d'Antony''.

Religious Heritage

Religious architectural heritage is rich in Antony from a historical perspective with the Church of Saint-Saturnin having the oldest parts in Île-de-France dating from the

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

period through to churches with modern architecture. The Church of Saint-SaturninMinistry of Culture, Mérimée is "Located in an attractive square planted with linden trees on the site of the old cemetery, the church of Saint-Saturnin has a triple interest: historical, archaeological and artistic". Inside, in addition to the wash stand from the

period, there are stained glass windows from the late 19th - early 20th centuries. The

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

is from the end of the 12th century, the bell tower from the 14th, the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

from the 15th century, and the south chapel is modern. The belfry supports four bells: the oldest, Charlotte Genevieve, from 1730. This monument has been undergoing major renovations in recent years. The

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...

, on the church square, was restored in 1989. This church has been classified as a historical monument since 19 October 1928. In the "Holy Mary Mother of the Church" chapel of the ''Institution Sainte-Marie d'Antony'', built in 1968 to plans by architects ''Georges Dengler'' and ''Zunz'', there is a very large openwork brick wall - the work of master glassmaker ''Henri Martin-Granel'' and also a large ceramic mural 41 m2 in area, the work of ''Jacqueline Bechet-Ferber''. The church contains a large number of items that are registered as historical objects. The Church of Sainte-Jeanne-de-Chantal has a main building from the Colonial Exhibition of 1931. So that it would not be confused with the church of Sainte-Jeanne-de-Chantal in Paris, the qualifier "hors-le-murs" (Outside the Walls) was added to clarify that it was not within the walls of Paris. This building was renovated in 1954. The Church of Saint-Jean-Porte-Latine (1967) was built between 1964 and 1967 on the plans of architects ''Pierre Pinsard'' and ''Hugo Vollmar''. The church was consecrated to Catholic worship on 21 May 1967. It is dedicated to Saint Jean-Porte-latine, patron saint of the publishing industry. The "Urban signal", surmounted by a giant cross, was inaugurated on 6 January 2002. The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi was built in 1972 on the plans of architect Paul Henry by the ''Œuvre des Chantiers du Cardinal'' (Construction work of the Cardinal. It was dedicated to the Catholic faith on 7 October 1972 by Monseigneur Jacques Delarue, Bishop of Nanterre. The Church of Saint-Maxime was built from 1978 to 1980 by the ''Œuvre des Chantiers du Cardinal''. It is also designed by the architect Paul Henry and was dedicated to the Catholic faith on 16 November 1980 by Monseigneur Jacques Delarue. It contains a large Statue of Saint Maxime (1939) which is registered as an historical object. The Church of Sainte-Odile (1933) was built under the direction of architect Charles Venner by the ''Œuvre des Chantiers du Cardinal''. There is a Bas-relief of Saint Odile (1933) which is registered as an historical object. The Evangelical Baptist Church, of modern architecture with large windows, has been completely rebuilt under the development project of the Croix de Berny and inaugurated in March 2001.

Environmental heritage

The policy of protecting and enhancing the environment makes Antony one of the greenest communes in Île-de-France: besides the Parc de Sceaux, there are 750,000 m2 of parks, woods, and leafy lanes. Antony has been labelled a "flowery city" with two flowers awarded since 2002 by the ''National Council of flowered towns and villages of France'' in the competition for cities and villages in bloom.Lognes
, Flowery Towns and Villages website, consulted on 6 April 2012 . The land in the region is particularly well suited for

Wisteria ''Wisteria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae). The genus includes four species of woody twining vines that are native to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, southern Canada, the Eastern United States, and nor ...

which covers the houses in spring, as well as

rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

s as in the names of the nearby communes of Fontenay-aux-Roses and

. Antony has several parks - the largest of which are: *Parc de Sceaux (about 180 hectares of which 60 hectares are in the commune of Antony) *Heller Park (9.6 ha) *Raymond Sibille Park (1.4 ha) *Bourdeau Park (1.2 ha) *the green slopes of Godets (2.66 ha) and Paradis (2.2 ha) *the green slopes of TGV (7 ha) *Bois de Aurora (2.6 ha) These parks are planted with trees "remarkable" for their size, age, history, botanical rarity, or which are particularly elegant or picturesque. The city is planted with over 50 different species. Inside Heller Park is the ''Antony Farm'' which allows children to play with pigs, cows, goats, and sheep as well as chickens, geese, and rabbits. It is managed by the pony club.

Cultural heritage

At the beginning of the 20th century Antony had three cinemas including: *the Family Palace (2 rue de Fresnes), built in 1922, operated until 1981 *L'Artistic, built in 1928, municipalized in 1981 and renamed ''Le Sélect Louis-Daquin'' and classed as an ''Art et Essai'' cinema *the Ciné du Soleil-Levant (Cinema of the Rising Sun) (6 Rue du Soleil-Levant), built in 1930, renamed ''L'Eden'' in 1948, operated until the 1970s. Until the summer of 2011 the only remaining cinema was Le Sélect. In view of its growing attendance, 49,000 in 1983, 100,000 in 1995, in 1995 the city studied the replacement of the cinema hall with a set of four halls on the same site. Local associations wished to maintain an ambitious and quality program. The principle to rebuild the cinema was adopted by the City Council in April 1997 but, given the technical difficulties related to the environment, the project has not yet been completed. On 28 January 2008 the cinema was honoured by the profession when Christine Beauchemin-Flot, its director, received the trophy for the Operator of the Year. This trophy is awarded every year by '' Le Film français'', a weekly reference publication in the profession. Scenes from the film ''Né de père inconnu'' (Born from an unknown father) by

Maurice Cloche Maurice Cloche (17 June 1907, in Commercy, Meuse (department), Meuse – 20 March 1990, in Bordeaux, France) was a French people, French film director, screenwriter, photographer and film producer. Best known for his Oscar-winning film ''Monsieur V ...

(1950) were shot in the Paul Manchon day nursery (demolished in the early 2000s). In July 2011 ''Le Select'' closed for the beginning of construction of the new multiplex. Restarting of shows was planned for November of that year at the Firmin-Gémier Theatre but, on 29 September, the mayor announced to council that the auditorium was contaminated with

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

and could not accommodate any film screenings, performances, or performing arts. Antony found itself without any major cultural venues until the construction of the new theatre and cinema was completed in 2013. On 10 June 2012 a short-lived cinema opened in the Pajeaud quarter between the COSOM gymnasium and the Iris pool near Heller Park. In an innovative concept, this temporary cinema of 205 seats will be dismantled when the town centre theatre opens. The current public library, built in 1990, has a large

Braille Braille ( , ) is a Tactile alphabet, tactile writing system used by blindness, blind or visually impaired people. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displays that connect to computers and smartphone device ...

workshop, one of the few in France to offer a large selection of books free of charge to the blind. In 1995 the city was also equipped with a new bookmobile which can carry 2,500 books. The bookmobile serves eleven stops in all quarters of Antony. Antony has a conservatory (dependent on the Agglomeration Community of Hauts-de-Bièvre), approved by the Darius Milhaud State Conservatory, that every year has more than 1,250 students supervised by a teaching faculty of more than 70 teachers. Its main mission is to discover, appreciate, and learn music, dance, and drama as part of courses of study in different departments. The conservatory was opened on 7 December 1996. Tributes were paid to

Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His composition ...

, the "godfather" of the temple of music as well as Paul Arma, a famous composer who lived in Antony and who the auditorium is named after. In 1967 Georges Suant, a theatre with 500 seats, and the Firmin-Gémier theatre, were installed in the hall built in 1930 on the ''Place du Marché'' after making some improvements including the provision of seats in the gods. The first director was ''Jacques Sarthou'', then the director of the ''Théâtre de l'Île-de-France''. Often referred to as the spiritual son of ''Firmin Gémier'', given his similar experience in a traveling theatre, he hoped that this new theatre would take his name. Several very creative directors were then appointed to the theatre: ''Jean Rougerie'' appointed in 1972, ''Pierrette Garreau'' and ''Marc Ansel'' in 1979, ''Gérard Savoisien'' in 1984, ''René Chéneaux'' in 1991, ''François Kergourlay'' in 1995, and ''Marc Jeancourt'' in 2000. All these directors brought to Antony a cultural life that has quickly found a loyal following. In 2003 a "circus space", national stage, was created where the Big Tops of "new circuses" performed regularly. A ''Scène conventionnée'', as part of the Agglomeration Community of Hauts-de-Bièvre, the Firmin Gémier theatre was associated in 2007 with the ''Théâtre La Piscine'' of Chatenay-Malabry. The Spartan character and the inconvenient nature of infrastructure contrasted with the wealth of programming. In September 2011, following the discovery of asbestos in the premises, the theatre closed quickly and permanently. The construction of a new hall is planned near the municipal library. Located in the Bourdeau Park, the "Maison des Arts" has free entrance and is dedicated to exhibitions with artistic programming, introductory workshops, and awareness for children.

Suburban Quarters

Much of Antony consists of suburban districts. These homes were mostly built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries shortly after the arrival of the Arpajonnais railway that transformed a self-sufficient agricultural village into a small market garden town then a residential town. Among these new houses, the houses on the Avenue Gabriel Peri were especially typical of the

style dating from 1890 to 1895. The subdivision of "New Antony" was designed by the architect

Anatole de Baudot Joseph-Eugène-Anatole de Baudot (14 October 1834 – 28 February 1915) was a French architect and a pioneer of reinforced-concrete construction. He was a prolific author, architect for diocesan buildings, architect for historical monuments, a ...

(who had already designed the Lycée Lakanal in Sceaux). Despite the new demographic development in the 1950s, Antony has so far maintained a largely suburban character. In the late 2000s the urban planning policy vis-à-vis this heritage became a significant issue. In June 2009 the city began to demolish houses on the Boulevard Pierre-Brossolette then published in October 2009 a plan for alignment of the Avenue Gabriel-Peri that should eventually lead to the demolition of other houses. These urbanisation operations have been challenged by residents and local associations.

Cultural events and festivities

In addition to the performances at the Firmin-Gémier theatre in the Chénier Grand Hall of the Institution Sainte-Marie notably by the Orchestre national d'Île-de-France (National Orchestra of Île-de-France) there are also regular concerts in the Auditorium of the Conservatory and at temporary exhibitions where many events are organized. The main cultural events and festivities in the city of Antony are: *February: the Antiques fair held since 1987 *March: the International Meeting of the Guitar organized since 1993 *April: The Half-Marathon of Antony since 1989 *May: **events on the occasion of Europe Day on 9 May as the city is very involved with the European Movement (including Patrick Devedjian, who was vice president until 2002) in the organization of this day for all Europe. **Bulles dans la ville (Bubbles in the city): a festive day dedicated to

Comics a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...

since 2004 **the Village of nature and garden *June: **the Solstice Festival: Since 2001 oriented towards circus arts and the street, the principle of this festival, organized with the town of Chatenay-Malabry, is to transform the two cities into a giant theatre. **Bubbles in the City: this day devoted to comics is the occasion of meetings with writers and designers, young talent show, and outdoor screenings. *July and August: **the International Handicapped Tennis Tournament: the first handicapped tennis tournament organized in Europe every year since 1986, it brings together the best male and female players of the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Tour. *September: **the Wine and Cheese Fair since 1987. This fair lasts three days and brings together 200 exhibitors from all parts of France in the Saint-Saturnin quarter with a wealth of local French cheeses and wines as well as meats, foie gras, and sweets. This major event of the season receives over 100,000 visitors. **Antony takes part in Heritage Day with a different theme each year **the Carousel of Art, an open-air gallery where Antonians exhibit their works of any nature whatsoever. *October: **the Forum of Associations **the Science Festival since 1997 **the Biennale since 1999 presenting the work of artists from Antony *November: The Pace Jazz Festival since 2005

Notable people

* Jean-Charles Persil (1785–1870), politician, Minister of Justice and Religious Affairs, lived and died here * Alfred-Armand-Louis-Marie Velpeau (1795–1867), anatomist and surgeon * Richard Guino (1890–1973), French-Catalan sculptor, lived here * Flaminio Bertoni (1903–1964), Italian car designer and sculptor, lived here * Paul Arma (1904–1987), French-Hungarian composer, lived here *

Louise Bourgeois Louise Joséphine Bourgeois (; 25 December 191131 May 2010) was a French-American artist. Although she is best known for her large-scale sculpture and installation art, Bourgeois was also a prolific painter and printmaker. She explored a varie ...

(1911–2010), sculptor, lived here * Georges Nomarski (1919–1997), French-Polish scientist, lived here *

Madeleine Lebeau Marie Madeleine Berthe Lebeau (, 10 June 1923 – 1 May 2016) was a French film actress who also appeared in American films, most notably ''Casablanca''. Early life Lebeau married actor Marcel Dalio in 1939; it was his second marriage. They had ...

(1923–2016) actress *

John Berger John Peter Berger ( ; 5 November 1926 – 2 January 2017) was an English art critic, novelist, painter and poet. His novel '' G.'' won the 1972 Booker Prize, and his essay on art criticism '' Ways of Seeing'', written as an accompaniment to t ...

(1926–2017), English artist and writer, lived here * René Desmaison (1930–2007), climber, lived here * Patrick Devedjian (1944–2020), politician, mayor of Antony in 1983–2002, Minister under

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

and

* Philippe Duron (born 1947), politician * Jérôme Cahuzac (born 1952), surgeon and politician, attended a school here * Stéphane Sirkis (1959–1999), guitarist of the band Indochine *

Nicola Sirkis Nicolas Henri Didier Sirchis (; born 22 June 1959), better known by his stage name Nicola Sirkis, is a French musician, primarily known for his work as the frontman and singer of the French rock band Indochine. He is the only remaining member of ...

(born 1959), frontman and singer of Indochine * Élie Semoun (born 1963), comedian and actor * Agnès Jaoui (born 1964), screenwriter, film director and actress *

Laurent Lafforgue Laurent Lafforgue (; born 6 November 1966) is a French mathematician. He has made outstanding contributions to Langlands' program in the fields of number theory and Mathematical analysis, analysis, and in particular proved the Langlands conjecture ...

(born 1966), mathematician * Vincent Lafforgue (born 1974), mathematician *

Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. He is the Top international association football goal scorers by cou ...

(born 1978), footballer, lived in the Baconnets quarter * Ibrahim Koma (born 1987), actor, grew up in the Baconnets quarter * Lucas Hauchard (born 1996), content creator

Iconography (photos)

See . The photographer

Robert Doisneau Robert Doisneau (; 14 April 1912 – 1 April 1994) was a French photographer. From the 1930s, he photographed the streets of Paris. He was a champion of humanist photography and, with Henri Cartier-Bresson, a pioneer of photojournalism. D ...

immortalized Antony's streets in his report "The marriage of Paul and Odette" on 8 January 1944.The Marriage of Paul and Odette (Mango Editions)
3 May 2007, livresphotos.com, consulted on 27 June 2009 . Besides the photos in the Commons gallery (only in French)
this website
includes many pictures of Antony.

Bibliography

*Collective work, ''Listening Point'', Service municipal de la jeunesse de la ville d'Antony, 1978 *Thérèse Chenot, Anne Fontaine, Jeannine Héreil, Françoise Libbe, Alix Pouzet and Marie-Claude Watrin, ''Antony, from its origins to today'', éditions Connaissance d'Antony, 1987 () *Anne Fontaine and Françoise Libbe, ''Saint-Saturnin of Antony'', 1992 () *Lucien Baclé, Bicycle rides around the western and southern communes of Châtenay-Malabry, Antony, Verrières-le-Buisson, Massy: 17 circuits from 10 to 45 km, on pleasant secondary roads, éditions L. Baclé, 1996 *Yvonne Firino, ''Antony five centuries of street and place names'', Association for the promotion of heritage of Antony, éditions APPA, 1998 () *Micheline Olivier, ''The Chapel Sainte-Marie Mère of the Church of Sainte-Marie of Antony'', The sacred art at Sainte-Marie, 2002 *Jean-Pierre Tarin, ''The Notables of the First Empire: their residences in Île-de-France'', éditions Terana, 2002

References

External links

City of Antony website

The streets of Antony

Antony on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Antony'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antony, Hauts-De-Seine Communes of Hauts-de-Seine Subprefectures in France