Sainte-Foy-l'Argentière

French commune
nomcommune=Sainte-Foy-l'Argentière
région=Rhône-Alpes
département=Rhône
arrondissement=Lyon
canton=Saint-Laurent-de-Chamousset
insee=69201
cp=69610
maire=
mandat=
intercomm=
longitude=4.47111111111
latitude=45.7091666667
alt moy=423 m
alt mini=417 m
alt maxi=480 m
hectares=154
km²=1.54
sans=1,167
date-sans=1999
dens=757
date-dens=1999

Sainte-Foy-l'Argentière is a little village and commune of the Rhône "département", located about 42 km from Lyon (often spelt "Lyons" in English).

The name means "Holy Faith, the silver-producer"; "Sainte-Foy" is equivalent to the common Spanish place-name "Santa Fé", and the reference is to the silver mines around which the village grew.

The village is clustered around a kilometer-long main street ("la grande rue"), rising from the busy crossroads at the bottom to the high school ("collège"). There is a central castle, linked to the church, in the main square, a riverside football club and stadium sometimes visited by Olympique Lyonnais in the pre-season, and a sports and entertainment centre ("salle polyvalente"). A popular antiques fair, which draws in crowds of thousands, is held every September, and there are other annual cultural activities.

The village's traditional and renowned main industry is roof tile manufacturing ("tuilerie").

The writer Bernard Clavel once lived near the village; it is also mentioned in a San-Antonio novel (author Frédéric Dard), and its tiny train station has been featured in various films.