Archon, Aisne

Archon
Commune
Fortified church of Archon, the gatehouse south facade
Archon Location within Hauts-de-France region  Archon
Coordinates: 49°44′32″N 4°07′09″E / 49.7422°N 4.1192°E / 49.7422; 4.1192Coordinates: 49°44′32″N 4°07′09″E / 49.7422°N 4.1192°E / 49.7422; 4.1192
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Aisne
Arrondissement	Vervins
Canton	Vervins
Intercommunality	Portes de la Thiérache
Government
• Mayor (2008–2020)	Jean-Luc Villain
Area1	6.37 km2 (2.46 sq mi)
Population (2010)2	87
• Density	14/km2 (35/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	02021 /02360
Elevation	146–225 m (479–738 ft) (avg. 180 m or 590 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Archon is a commune in the department of Aisne in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Archonais or Archonaises

Archon is located some 60 km east by south east of Saint-Quentin and 40 km west of Charleville-Mézières. It can be accessed by road D744 from Cuiry-les-Iviers in the north which passes through the heart of the commune and the village then continues south to Rozoy-sur-Serre. The D520 road starts from the village and continues east to Parfondeval. The commune consists entirely of farmland and there are no other villages or hamlets.

A stream rises in the commune and flows south joining other tributaries and feeding the Serre river.

In Greek Archon (ἄρχων, pl. Ἄρχοντες) means chief or lord.

Archon was known as Archium in 1124. It has been found in Mousterian flint carvings and Roman pottery. In the 13th century, the lordship was given to the Abbey Saint-Remi of Reims and Saint Vincent of Laon and to the Rozoy Chapter.

The village has beautiful old houses and barns built of Wattle and daub. Archon has a restored private castle – the Ogny Castle – built in the 16th/17th centuries. It is a square building flanked by two towers at opposite corners, a square gate, and two square towers. Former mill at Ogny is now a farm. The church of Saint Martin is fortified. The front is protected by two round towers on each side of the door and connected by a bridge with loopholes and a gatehouse.

Archon was the homeland for:

The two oldest civil status acts of Archon show baptisms in the church of St. Martin in late October 1660. The first was a girl, Jeanne Lengrene, the second child of Jacques Cury, brother of Simon Cury and Claude Mennesson. There were baptisms from 1660 to 1668.

Starting from 1668 there were marriages. The first is cited on 3 July 1668 – the marriage of Michel Dugard and Marguerite Lengrene, widower and widow, witnessed by Jean Lengrene and Claude Chollet, labourers, and Louis de Labarre.