A French city located in the western fringes of
Paris,
Antony lies at a distance of 11 kilometers from the heart of the French capital. A part of the
Ile-de-France region,
Antony falls under the Hauts-de-Seine department.
With a population of nearly 63,000 people, the city of
Antony also heads the commune association called Hauts de Bievre. This association is composed of a total of seven communes. Of these, five communes are part of the Hauts-de-Seine department, and two fall under the Essonne department.
Antony is a city with a rich history that dates back to the Gallo-Roman times. ‘Antonacium’, the word that inspired the name of this municipality, was used for the very first time in a charter in the year 829 AD. ‘Antonacium’, when translated, means ‘estate of
Antony’. This ‘
Antony’ could have possibly been a landowner in this region during the Gallo-Roman era.
In French history,
Antony occupies a prominent position for playing a major role in the Hundred Years War. At the end of that devastating war,
Antony is said to have been left with just a little over 100 people.
During the 18th century, the economy of
Antony was revived when the famous candle-making company Trudon established its headquarters here.
There are a number of interesting hotspots in the city of
Antony. One of them is the Chapelle Sainte Marie. The chapel attracts inhabitants as well as tourists due to its sheer size. It was built in 1968 by the esteemed architects Zunz and Dengler.
The two notable aspects about Chapelle Sainte Marie are the inner walls that have been beautifully created by Henri-Martin Granel, the well-known glassblower, and the long ceramic fresco carved by Jacqueline-Bechet Ferbera. While the walls flaunt beautiful brickwork, the fresco is stupendously huge, and measures a whopping 440 square feet.
