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Argentan

From Wikipedia - Reading time: 19 min

For the lace, see Argentan lace. For the alloy, see Nickel silver.
Argentan
Subprefecture and commune
The château of the dukes in the centre of Argentan
The château of the dukes in the centre of Argentan
Coat of arms of Argentan
Coat of arms
Location of Argentan
Map
Argentan is located in France
Argentan
Argentan
Argentan is located in Normandy
Argentan
Argentan
Coordinates: 48°45′N 0°01′W / 48.75°N 0.02°W / 48.75; -0.02
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
DepartmentOrne
ArrondissementArgentan
CantonArgentan-1
Argentan-2
IntercommunalityTerres d'Argentan Interco
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Frédéric Leveillé[1]
Area
1
18.18 km2 (7.02 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[2]
13,494
 • Density740/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
61006 /61200
Elevation152–228 m (499–748 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Argentan (French pronunciation: [aʁʒɑ̃tɑ̃] ⓘ) is a commune and the seat of two cantons and of an arrondissement in the Orne department in northwestern France.[3] As of 2019, Argentan is the third largest municipality by population in the Orne department.[4]

History

[edit]

Earley history

[edit]
Heavy fighting in August 1944, following the Allied invasion of Normandy, left the town in ruins.
SNCF train station

Argentan is situated near the river Orne. Although the region was heavily populated during the Gallo Roman period the town is not mentioned in any texts until the 11th Centaury.[5][6] The toponym comes from the Gaulish words argentos ("silver") and magos ("market").[6] The town grew in importance during the Middle Ages.

Middle Ages

[edit]

The towns fortifications were built or rebuilt on Gallic or Gallo-Roman remains by the order of Rollo "the Walker" first duke of Normandy.[7] The town was then besieged in 1046, by Henry I of France attempting to seize the Norman duchy, destroying its ramparts and setting them on fire.[8] 48 years later in 1094, Roger the Poitevin was sent by William II of England to defend the town and castle against Philip I of France, but Roger surrendered on the first day of the siege.[9]

In 1106 after the Battle of Tinchebray, Henry I of England decided to rebuild and expand the fortifications, building an outer and inner set of walls, a keep and the first incarnation of the chateau des ducs.[10] In 1199 the town came under the control of John, King of England who held court that year in the town over Christmas.[11] However it was with John for only a short period as Philip II of France took control in 1203, a year before taking the rest of Normandy.[12]

1356 saw the English take control of the town from Charles I de Montmorency, had the domain of Argentan, as part of the Hundred Years' War.[10] The English abandoned the town 4 years later, and the domaine fell to Marie de Montmorency, who then sold the domaine to Pierre II, Count of Alençon in 1372.[10] Pierre had built several chapels in the town and the version of the chateau des ducs that is still standing today.[13]

In 1417, the English under Henry V took control of Argentan after the Siege of Caen.[14] The English stayed in control of the town until 1449, when Charles VII of France took control of Normandy and ended the Hundred year war in 1453.[10][15]

Modern era

[edit]

During the reign of Louis XIV, Colbert who objected to French aristocrats spending their money on foreign luxuries granted royal privalages to areas in the Orne to make their own lace, with Argentan along with nearby Alençon getting its royal privalage in 1665.[16][17] This eventually led to teh creation of the both the point d'Argentan ("Argentan stitch") and the point d'Alençon ("Alençon stitch") which were regarded as the finest lace in France.[18] Argentan became a very important town for traditional industry. It also gained in religious importance with the building of a Benedictine Abbey and two churches, Saint-Martin and Saint-Germain. Several mansions (hôtels particuliers) were also built.

Twentieth Century

[edit]

During World War I, the French 104th Infantry Regiment/14th Infantry Brigade was stationed at Argentan. It participated in the battle of Verdun in 1916.

During World War II, the city was almost totally destroyed. On 5 June 1944, on the eve of the Allied D-Day landing on the beaches of Normandy, the city suffered an important air raid in which the train station was destroyed.[19] The city suffered further damage when it was bombed on 6 and 7 June by B-17 and B-24 bombers of the U.S. Eighth Air Force.[20] The greatest part of the city was, however, left in ruins two and a half months later, at the end of August, during the battle of the Argentan-Falaise Pocket. The U.S. Third Army, under the command of general George S. Patton liberated Argentan after eight days of violent combat against the German 9th Panzer Division and the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich. The U.S. 80th Infantry Division liberated the city in the morning of 20 August.

Geography

[edit]

The commune of Argentan is made up of the town of Argentan and the following villages and hamlets, La Croix de Coulandon, Coulandon and Mauvaisville.[21] The commune is spread over an area of 18.18 square kilometres (4,490 acres) with a maximum altitude of 228 metres (748 ft 0 in) and minimum of 152 metres (498 ft 8 in)[22]

The town lies on the Greenwich Meridian line which is marked on its Eastern entrance.[23]

Argentan has 5 water courses running through it, three rivers The Orne, The Ure and The Baize and two streams, the Marais de Fleuriel and the Fontaines Thiot.[24]

The commune is within the area known as the Plaine d'Argentan, which is known for its cereal growing fileds and horse stud farms.[25]

Argentan along with another 65 communes is part of a 20,593 hectare, Natura 2000 conservation area, called the Haute vallée de l'Orne et affluents.[26]

Land distribution

[edit]

According to the 2018 CORINE Land Cover assessment the majority of the land in the commune, 45% is Arable land.[22] 23 % of the land is urbanised with another another 13% built upon for Industrial and commercial purposes.[22]. The rest of the land is Meadows at 18%, Forests at just 0.11% and 40 hectares (99 acres), 2% of land to Artificial Green spaces.[22]

Location

[edit]

Argentan is located 180 km (110 mi) NE of Rennes, 131 km (81 mi) ENE of the Mont Saint-Michel, 188 km (117 mi) SE of Cherbourg, 58 km (36 mi) SSE of Caen, 133 km (83 mi) SW of Rouen and 100 km (62 mi) N of Le Mans. Argentan station has rail connections to Caen, Le Mans, Paris and Granville.

Climate

[edit]

Argentan's Climate is classed as a temperate oceanic climate according to the Köppen–Geiger climate classification.[27]

Climate data for Argentan, 1991–2021 normals, elevation: 170 m (558 ft), extremes 1991–present, 1991 - 2019 Average sun hours
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.9
(62.4) 		21.1
(70.0) 		24.4
(75.9) 		27
(81) 		30
(86) 		37.2
(99.0) 		40.2
(104.4) 		38.3
(100.9) 		33.4
(92.1) 		28.8
(83.8) 		21.1
(70.0) 		16.6
(61.9) 		40.2
(104.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 7.4
(45.3) 		8.7
(47.7) 		11.8
(53.2) 		15.2
(59.4) 		18.4
(65.1) 		22
(72) 		24.4
(75.9) 		24.1
(75.4) 		20.8
(69.4) 		16.2
(61.2) 		11.1
(52.0) 		8
(46) 		15.7
(60.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.6
(40.3) 		5.2
(41.4) 		7.3
(45.1) 		9.7
(49.5) 		13
(55) 		16.2
(61.2) 		18.3
(64.9) 		18.2
(64.8) 		15.2
(59.4) 		12.1
(53.8) 		7.9
(46.2) 		5
(41) 		11.1
(52.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 1.7
(35.1) 		1.8
(35.2) 		2.9
(37.2) 		4.3
(39.7) 		7.5
(45.5) 		10.4
(50.7) 		12.1
(53.8) 		12.2
(54.0) 		9.6
(49.3) 		7.9
(46.2) 		4.7
(40.5) 		2.1
(35.8) 		6.4
(43.5)
Record low °C (°F) −14.7
(5.5) 		−12.9
(8.8) 		−9.2
(15.4) 		−6.6
(20.1) 		−2.8
(27.0) 		0.1
(32.2) 		2.7
(36.9) 		2.2
(36.0) 		0
(32) 		−6.9
(19.6) 		−7.7
(18.1) 		−13
(9) 		−14.7
(5.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 62.5
(2.46) 		54.4
(2.14) 		51.3
(2.02) 		48.6
(1.91) 		60.2
(2.37) 		47.1
(1.85) 		50.4
(1.98) 		54.8
(2.16) 		50.2
(1.98) 		69.7
(2.74) 		68.2
(2.69) 		74.5
(2.93) 		691.9
(27.24)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 12.3 11.6 10.2 9.3 9.6 8.3 8.5 8.7 8 11.6 12.7 13.9 124.7
Average relative humidity (%) 87 83 79 74 74 72 71 72 76 82 87 87 79
Mean monthly sunshine hours 86.8 106.4 161.2 220.1 232.5 252 263.5 241.8 195 145.7 102 96.1 2,103.1
Source 1: Météo France[28]
Source 2: Climate data (relative humidity & Average Sunshine hours)[27]

Population

[edit]
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 5,598—    
1800 5,618+0.05%
1806 6,013+1.14%
1821 5,457−0.64%
1836 5,772+0.37%
1841 5,611−0.56%
1846 5,634+0.08%
1851 5,673+0.14%
1856 5,833+0.56%
1861 5,638−0.68%
1866 5,401−0.86%
1872 5,725+0.98%
1876 5,788+0.27%
1881 6,300+1.71%
1886 6,285−0.05%
1891 6,247−0.12%
1896 6,309+0.20%
1901 6,291−0.06%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1906 6,387+0.30%
1911 6,870+1.47%
1921 6,753−0.17%
1926 7,129+1.09%
1931 7,038−0.26%
1936 7,204+0.47%
1946 6,711−0.71%
1954 8,339+2.75%
1962 12,757+5.46%
1968 14,558+2.23%
1975 16,774+2.04%
1982 17,327+0.46%
1990 16,413−0.68%
1999 16,596+0.12%
2007 14,642−1.55%
2012 14,219−0.58%
2017 13,823−0.56%
Source: EHESS[29] and INSEE (1968–2017)[30]

Main sights and notable buildings

[edit]
  • Donjon of Argentan - Ramparts of Argentan built in the Middle Ages by Henri I.[31] It was classed as a Monument historique in 1945.[31]
  • Tour Marguerite - a 12th century medieval tower built by Henri I.[32] It was classed as a Monument Historique in 1965.[32]
  • Castle of the Dukes - a 14th century castle built by Pierre II of Alençon, it is now a court house.[33] it was classed as a monument historique in 1889.[34] The grounds of the castle houses the 14th century St. Nicholas Chapel, which is also classed as a monument historique.[35]
  • Saint Martin church - built in the 16th century it was listed as monument historique in 1862.[36]
  • Saint Germain church - 15th century church listed as monument historique in 1889.[37][38]
  • Saint Roch Chapel

National Heritage sites

[edit]

The Commune has a total of 18 buildings and areas listed as a Monument historique in addition to the 6 listed above there are:

  • Hotel du Moulin de Fontenelle - 18th Century L-shaped Hotel, added as a monument in 2004.[39]
  • Former Hotel Servain - 17th Century Hotel, whose door was added as a monument in 1948.[40]
  • Henri IV House - Built in 1623 it served as the town hall from 1722 to 1809, it was classified in 1946.[41]
  • Hôtel Ango-de-la-Motte - Former seventeenth century Hotel, it was classified in 1948.[41]
  • Three Crosses Column - erected in 1771, the three crosses are believed to be either to mark the meeting place of three 12th century kings, commemorate the expulsion of the English in 1450, or to redeem the vandalism of Theodore Beza in 1563.[42]
  • Statue of the Virgin - erected in 1648 it was registered in 1934[43]
  • Former residence of the Abbess of the Benedictines - erected in 1623 it was built to receive novices from Almenêches Abbey to replace former nuns who died and those who had opposed the establishment of the new customs of the Reformation.[44] It was registered in 1932.[45]
  • Count of Lonlay - former 17th century hotel, which was registered in 1948 [46]
  • Norman house - 14th century house, which was registered in 1948 [47]
  • Lemonnier house - 14th century house, which was registered in 1948 [48]
  • Aumont-de-la-Vente Hotel - former 17th century hotel, where James II of England stayed in 1692, during his period of exile.[46] Classed as a Monument historique in 1948.[49]
  • Former church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Place - former 12th century church for Medieval pilgrims, that was sold in 1820 and became a dwelling house.[50] It became a monument historique in 1986.[51]

Museums

[edit]

Other points of interest

[edit]
[edit]
  • Chapel Saint Nicholas – built at the end of the 11th century
    Chapel Saint Nicholas – built at the end of the 11th century
  • Hôtel du Moulin de Tercey, 2 rue Saint-Martin
    Hôtel du Moulin de Tercey, 2 rue Saint-Martin
  • Donjon of Argentan, built by Henry II of England
    Donjon of Argentan, built by Henry II of England
  • Saint Germain church (built 16th–18th centuries)
    Saint Germain church (built 16th–18th centuries)
  • Tour Marguerite is the only surviving medieval tower
    Tour Marguerite is the only surviving medieval tower
  • Saint Martin church, built in the 15th and 16th centuries
    Saint Martin church, built in the 15th and 16th centuries
  • Hotel Joseph de Laleu 56 rue Saint Martin built in 1651
    Hotel Joseph de Laleu 56 rue Saint Martin built in 1651
  • This hotel particulier was the Nicolas Ango house
    This hotel particulier was the Nicolas Ango house
  • The former abbey, now a restaurant
    The former abbey, now a restaurant
  • Château of the Dukes of Alençon (15th century), now the Court House
    Château of the Dukes of Alençon (15th century), now the Court House
  • Birthplace of painter André Mare
    Birthplace of painter André Mare
  • Hôtel du comte de Lonlay
    Hôtel du comte de Lonlay

Sport

[edit]

The Commune has a football club, Football Club Argentan who play at Stade Gérard Saint.[58]

Notable people

[edit]

Transport

[edit]

Twin towns – sister cities

[edit]
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Argentan is twinned with:[78]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 9 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Populations de référence 2022" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Commune d'Argentan (61006)". INSEE.
  4. ^ Populations légales 2019: 61 Orne, INSEE
  5. ^ "Des vestiges gaulois et romains découverts à Sarceaux". Ouest-France.
  6. ^ a b MOULIN, Marie-Anne; CHAVE, Isabelle; FAJAL, Bruno; FOUCHER, Jean-Pascal; et al. (2008). Argentn et ses environs au Moyen Âge: Approche historique et archéologique. Public Library: Conseil général de l'Orne. p. 38. ISBN 978-2-86061-032-2.
  7. ^ "Argentan, l'autre cité ornaise de la dentelle". 7 May 2023.
  8. ^ "L'histoire d'Argentan, l'autre cité ornaise de la dentelle". alencon.maville.com.
  9. ^ Chandler, Victoria (1989). "The Last of the Montgomerys: Roger the Poitevin and Arnulf". Historical Research. 62 (147): 1–14. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2281.1989.tb01075.x.
  10. ^ a b c d "Château des Ducs Grand Logis Argentan". Châteaux, Histoire et Patrimoine - montjoye.net. 28 October 2019.
  11. ^ "LES REMPARTS D'ARGENTAN (Orne)". remparts-de-normandie.eklablog.com.
  12. ^ POWICKE, F.M. (1913). The loss of Normandy (1189-1204) Studies in the history of the Angevin empire. MANCHESTER at the University Press. p. 378.
  13. ^ "Castles.nl - Argentan Ducal Castle". www.castles.nl.
  14. ^ Massey, Robert Andrew (January 1987). "THE LANCASTRIAN LAND SETTLEMENT IN NORMANDY AND NORTHERN FRANCE, 1417-1450" (PDF). livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk.
  15. ^ "Voyage dans l'Argentan du XIIIe au XVe siècle". alencon.maville.com.
  16. ^ "These nuns keep a treasured lace-making tradition alive". Aleteia — Catholic Spirituality, Lifestyle, World News, and Culture.
  17. ^ "Search Results for "alencon" – By the Poor For the Rich: Lace in Context".
  18. ^ "Créer pour Louis XIV. Dentelles de pouvoir - ALENCON". Normandy Tourism, France.
  19. ^ Destruction of Argentan SNCF train station in August 1944: http://argentan.vapeur.free.fr/gare_guerre.html (French site)
  20. ^ Freeman, Roger A., The Mighty Eighth, Motorbooks International, 1981, 1990, pp. 259 & 260.
  21. ^ a b "Argentan · 61200, France". Argentan · 61200, France.
  22. ^ a b c d "Argentan (61) : Cadastre, PLU, zonage et risques majeurs". PLU & Cadastre.
  23. ^ "Quatre curiosités à voir à Argentan". Ouest-France. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  24. ^ Sandre. "Fiche cours d'eau - L'Orne (I2--0200)".
  25. ^ "Normandie Développement Durable" (PDF).
  26. ^ naturelle, Museum national d'Histoire. "INPN - FSD Natura 2000 - FR2500099 - Haute vallée de l'Orne et affluents - Description". inpn.mnhn.fr.
  27. ^ a b "Argentan climate: Weather Argentan & temperature by month". en.climate-data.org.
  28. ^ "ARGENTAN (61)" (PDF). Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1991–2020 et records (in French). Météo France.
  29. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Argentan, EHESS (in French).
  30. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  31. ^ a b "Ancien donjon à Argentan - PA00110717". monumentum.fr.
  32. ^ a b "Tour Marguerite à Argentan - PA00110730". monumentum.fr.
  33. ^ "Castles.nl - Argentan Ducal Castle". www.castles.nl.
  34. ^ "Ancien château des Ducs à Argentan - PA00110715". monumentum.fr.
  35. ^ "Ancienne chapelle du château, ou chapelle Saint-Nicolas à Argentan - PA00110714". monumentum.fr.
  36. ^ "Eglise Saint-Martin à Argentan - PA00110720". monumentum.fr.
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  39. ^ "Hôtel du Moulin de Fontenelle à Argentan - PA61000035". monumentum.fr.
  40. ^ "Ancien hôtel Servain à Argentan - PA00110725". monumentum.fr.
  41. ^ a b "Hôtel Ango-de-la-Motte à Argentan - PA00110722". monumentum.fr.
  42. ^ "Colonne dite des Trois Croix à Argentan - PA00110716". monumentum.fr.
  43. ^ "Statue de la Vierge à Argentan - PA00110729". monumentum.fr.
  44. ^ "Ancienne habitation de l'Abbesse des Bénédictines à Argentan - PA00110721". monumentum.fr.
  45. ^ "Ancienne habitation de l'Abbesse des Bénédictines". www.pop.culture.gouv.fr.
  46. ^ a b "Ancien hôtel du comte de Lonlay à Argentan - PA00110724". monumentum.fr.
  47. ^ "Maison normande à Argentan - PA00110727". monumentum.fr.
  48. ^ "Maison Lemonnier à Argentan - PA00110726". monumentum.fr.
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  66. ^ "Fernand Léger | Cubist, Modernist Painter & Sculptor | Britannica". www.britannica.com.
  67. ^ "Andre Mare". belovedlinens.net.
  68. ^ "André Rouyer | Actor, Writer". IMDb.
  69. ^ "François Doubin, ancien maire d'Argentan et ancien ministre, est décédé". Ouest-France.fr. 18 June 2019.
  70. ^ "Argentan. Dimanche, c'est le critérium Gérard-Saint". Ouest-France.fr. 16 September 2022.
  71. ^ "Richard Peduzzi | Production Designer, Art Department". IMDb.
  72. ^ "Michel Onfray - Freedom From Religion Foundation". ffrf.org.
  73. ^ "Football. Le Normand Franck Berrier, icône en Belgique, est décédé tragiquement". Ouest-France.fr. 13 August 2021.
  74. ^ "Ancien d'Alençon : Gaëtan Laura brille avec le Paris FC en Ligue 2". actu.fr. 22 January 2021.
  75. ^ Plan du réseau, TER Normandie, accessed 24 September 2023.
  76. ^ "Argentan - France". World Airport Codes.
  77. ^ "R.N.12: JUSQU'AU BOUT DES TERRES... (I)". surma-route.net (in French). Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  78. ^ "Villes jumelées". argentan.fr (in French). Argentan. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
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