Argenteuil

France

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Argenteuil, town, Val-d’Oise département, Île-de-France région, northern France. It lies along the north bank of the Seine River, northwest of Paris.

The town’s name comes from silver (argent) deposits exploited there by the Gauls. Argenteuil grew up around a convent that was founded there in the 7th century and of which Charlemagne’s daughter Théorade may have been an early abbess. Héloïse, of the tragic Héloïse-Abelard romance, became prioress of the convent about 1118, but she was expelled in 1129, and the convent was made into a monastery. Enshrined in the monastery’s Church of Saint-Denis is the putative seamless robe of Christ, which was given to the convent by Charlemagne after he had received it from the Byzantine empress Irene.

In the 20th century industrial development and suburban housing almost completely obliterated the vineyards and asparagus fields that once surrounded Argenteuil. Now many of the industries are gone, replaced by service and commercial activities. Argenteuil’s proximity to Paris makes it an important commuter settlement. Pop. (1999) 93,961; (2014 est.) 108,865.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Michael Ray.