Mortagne-au-Perche

Mortagne-au-Perche
The town hall in Mortagne-au-Perche
The town hall in Mortagne-au-Perche
Coat of arms of Mortagne-au-Perche
Location of Mortagne-au-Perche
Mortagne-au-Perche is located in France
Mortagne-au-Perche
Mortagne-au-Perche
Mortagne-au-Perche is located in Normandy
Mortagne-au-Perche
Mortagne-au-Perche
Coordinates: 48°31′15″N 0°32′54″E / 48.5208°N 0.5483°E / 48.5208; 0.5483
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
DepartmentOrne
ArrondissementMortagne-au-Perche
CantonMortagne-au-Perche
IntercommunalityPays de Mortagne au Perche
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Virginie Valtier[1]
Area
1
8.6 km2 (3.3 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)[2]
3,898
 • Density450/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
61293 /61400
Elevation171–264 m (561–866 ft)
(avg. 225 m or 738 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Mortagne-au-Perche (French pronunciation: [mɔʁtaɲ o pɛʁʃ] ) is a commune in the Orne department in Normandy, northwestern France.[3] It is classed as a Petites Cités de Caractère.[4]

Heraldry

Arms of Mortagne-au-Perche
Arms of Mortagne-au-Perche
The arms of Mortagne-au-Perche are blazoned :
Or, 3 fern fronds vert.



Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
19684,322—    
19754,877+1.74%
19824,851−0.08%
19904,584−0.71%
19994,513−0.17%
20074,156−1.02%
20124,059−0.47%
20173,818−1.22%
20233,898+0.35%
Source: INSEE[5]

Points of interest

Museums

  • Musée percheron is a Museum of France showcasing local and national history. It also features a collection of medals created by Jules-Clément Chaplain.[6]

National heritage sites

The Commune has seventeen buildings and areas listed as a Monument historique.

  • Hôtel de Longueil a former 15th-century hotel, it was registered as a Monument historique in 1975.[7]
  • convent of the Poor Clares of Saint-François a former sixteenth-century convent, registered as a Monument historique in 1920.[8]
  • Saint-Nicolas hospital a former sixteenth-century hospital, registered as a Monument historique in 1997.[9]
  • Collegiate church of Toussaint a former thirteenth-century church served by a college of canons, registered as a Monument historique in 1972.[10]
  • Notre-Dame Church a fifteenth-century church, registered as a Monument historique in 1910.[11]
  • Saint-Germain-de-Loisé Church a fifteenth-century church, registered as a Monument historique in 1972.[12]
  • Mortagne Hippodrome the three wooden grandstands at this racecourse are the oldest preserved examples in France; they were registered as a Monument historique in 1996. The stands are used Each year on the first Sunday in September, for the Orne departmental competition for conformation and gait of Percheron horses.[13][14]
  • Hôtel a former eighteenth-century building, it was registered as a monument in 1975.[15]
  • Hôtel de Fontenay an eighteenth-century hotel, still in operation, it was registered as a monument in 1975.[16]
  • Hotel des Tailles an eighteenth-century hotel, still in operation, it was registered as a monument in 1971.[17]
  • House of Henry IV a sixteenth-century house, that Henry IV visited in 1599, it was registered as a monument in 1979.[18]
  • Dean Toussaint House a fifteenth-century house built for the dean of the collegiate church, it was registered as a monument in 1975.[19]
  • The house of the Counts of Perche a seventeenth-century stately house built on the site of where the counts of Perche resided in the 12th century, it was registered as a monument in 1975.[20]
  • Birthplace of Alain a nineteenth-century house where the philosopher Alain was born, it was registered as a monument in 1995.[21]
  • Turret house a fifteenth-century house, with a Turret, it was registered as a monument in 1975.[22]
  • Porte Saint-Denis a twelfth-century door, revealing a Cart arch that was the entrance to Fort Toussaint, it was registered as a monument in 1975.[23]
  • Statue of Neptune' located in the garden of the town hall, this statue was created in 1866 by Emmanuel Frémiet. It was registered as a monument in 2006.[24]

People

  • Geoffrey II, Count of Perche and Mortagne, grandfather of Queen Margaret of L'Aigle.
  • Marie of Armagnac, duchess of Alençon, died there in 1473.
  • Early Québécois settler Zacharie Cloutier (1590-1677).
  • Jean-Pierre Poisson (1590-1650), an arquebusier who accompanied the explorer Champlain to Canada. Poisson returned to France, but some of his children emigrated to Quebec and left many descendants.
  • City of Boucherville founder Pierre Boucher (1622-1717).
  • Count Joseph de Puisaye (1755-1827), born in Mortagne-au-Perche, was the representative of the percheronne nobility in the Généraux States of Versailles of 1789. He rocks in the Counter-revolution after the arrest of the king and joined Chouannerie in Brittany. He was chosen by the Count d'Artois (future Charles X) to organize the English unloading of Quiberon in 1795 whose failure signs the end of his participation in the movement. He died exiled in Hammersmith, England.
  • Jules-Clément Chaplain (1839 – 1909) a sculptor and medallist was born here.[25]
  • Ernest Granger (1844 -1914) French politician, was born here.[26]
  • Philosopher and antimilitarist Émile Chartier dit Alain (1868-1951), born in Mortagne-au-Perche.
  • Marie Glory, french actress.
  • Fashion designer Chantal Thomass lives in Mortagne-au-Perche.
  • Colonizer of Canada Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal.
  • Journalist Jean Planchais (1922-2006), born in Mortagne-au-Perche.
  • Michel Fleury - (1923 – 2002) historian, archivist and archaeologist, is buried here.[27]
  • Jean-Claude Lenoir - (born 1944) a member of the National Assembly of France between 1993 and 2012 was born here.[28]
  • Journalist and Swiss writer Alex Capus, born in Mortagne-au-Perche in 1961.
  • Writer and music scholar Jean-Pierre Grivois, born in Mortagne-au-Perche.

Twin towns – sister cities

Mortagne-au-Perche is twinned with:[29]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations de référence 2023" (in French). National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 18 December 2025.
  3. ^ "Commune de Mortagne-au-Perche (61293)". INSEE.
  4. ^ "Mortagne-au-Perche, la dynamique petite cité de caractère". Ouest-France.fr. 5 May 2022.
  5. ^ Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023, INSEE
  6. ^ "La Chapelle-Montligeon – Musée percheron". Monumentum (in French). Monumentum. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  7. ^ Ancien Hôtel de Longueil
  8. ^ Ancien couvent des Clarisses de Saint-François
  9. ^ Ancien hôpital Saint-Nicolas
  10. ^ Ancienne collégiale de Toussaint
  11. ^ Eglise Notre-Dame
  12. ^ Eglise Saint-Germain-de-Loisé
  13. ^ Hippodrome
  14. ^ "Tribunes de l'hippodrome MORTAGNE-AU-PERCHE : Normandy Tourism". Normandy Tourism, France.
  15. ^ Hôtel
  16. ^ Hôtel de Fontenay
  17. ^ Hôtel des Tailles
  18. ^ Maison de Henri IV
  19. ^ Maison dite du doyen Toussaint
  20. ^ Maison dite maison des comtes du Perche
  21. ^ Maison natale du philosophe Alain
  22. ^ Maison à tourelle
  23. ^ Porte Saint-Denis
  24. ^ Statue de Neptune, située dans le jardin de l'Hôtel de Ville
  25. ^ "Jules-Clément Chaplain (36179) | Musée d'Orsay". www.musee-orsay.fr.
  26. ^ "GRANGER Ernest, Henri". Maitron/Editions de l'Atelier. 12 March 2020 – via Le Maitron.
  27. ^ "61 - PATRIMOINE FUNERAIRE DE L'ORNE : Etat des lieux - Cimetières de France et d'ailleurs". www.landrucimetieres.fr.
  28. ^ "Vingt-cinq ans au service des siens". actu.fr. 19 October 2017.
  29. ^ "24 jumelages franco-allemands dans l'Orne". Ouest-France.fr. 21 January 2013.