Saint-Aubert-sur-Orne
Saint-Aubert-sur-Orne (, literally ''Saint-Aubert on Orne'') is a former commune in the Orne department in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Putanges-le-Lac.
The former commune is part of the area k ...
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...
There is evidence the area has been inhabited since
Neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
times with the
Menhir
A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the European middle Br ...
dit la Droite Pierre in Chênedouit. All the villages with in the commune were first recorded during the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The ope ...
, the village of Menil-Jean saw the men of the village forced to enlist to work in a slaughterhouse, killing 200 animals a day to feed the German soldiers on the frontline. This lasted until the Germans withdrew on the 18th August Seeing the Villette Bridge which crossed the Orne being destroyed by mines.
On the 18th August in Putanges-Pont-Écrepin the Germans also blew up the bridge in to stop the Allied forces advancing. The British 11th Armoured Division arrived a little later and liberated Putanges after some fighting. The British crossed the river during the evening of the 18th and early morning of the 19th August finding no resistance once crossed, however losing 10 lives liberating the town. The next day the 29th Armoured Brigade installed a
Bailey bridge
A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, Prefabrication, pre-fabricated, Truss Bridge, truss bridge. It was developed in 1940–1941 by the British Empire in World War II, British for military use during the World War II, Second World War and saw ...
over the arches of the destroyed bridge to reconnect the two sides of the town.
Post war
The bridge at Putanges-Pont Ecripin was rebuilt in 1958 and called the 11th British Division Bridge in honour of two bodies of soldiers, Lieutenant Barry Grierson and Clifors Vincent Thomas discovered under the rubble while the bridge was being rebuilt.
In 1960 the Plessis Dam was built in Rabodanges by EDF, this created the Lac de Rabodanges.
In 1965 the Villages of Putanges and Pont-Ecripin formally merge to form the commune of Putanges-Pont Ecripin
On the 1st January 2016 the commune of Putanges-le-Lac was formed.
Population
Points of Interest
*Lac de Rabodanges is a 6 km artificial lake covering almost 240 acres, making it the largest lake in Lower Normandy. It was created in 1960 after completion of building a dam at Rabodanges. The dam is 160 meters long and 17 metres high holding back 6 million cubic meters of water. The water intake for the power plant is located on the right bank and includes an underground chamber dug 40 meters deep into the granite. The turbine, installed in this chamber, receives water from a 53-meter drop with a flow rate of 16 cubic meters per second. With a power of 9,500 horsepower, it drives a 6,600-watt alternator.
The lake is now a popular tourist destination and had a designated swimming area opened in August 2022.
File:FranceNormandieRabodangesLac.jpg, Rabodanges Lac
File:Lac de Rabodanges - Swimming area.jpg, Lac de Rabodanges Swimming area
*Pierre de la Roussellière is a
Menhir
A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the European middle Br ...
in Forêt-Auvray.
National heritage sites
The Commune has 6 buildings and areas listed as a
Monument historique
() is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...
.
Manoir de la Cour is a 15th-century manor house in Saint-Aubert-sur-Orne with later additions added in the 17th century, classed as a Monument historique in 2011.
Former village of Vieux-Saint-Aubert the remains of a village in Saint-Aubert-sur-Orne with buildings dated from the 12th and 14th century, that was registered as a Monument Historique in 1992.
Château de Rabodanges is a 17th-century chateau built in place of a feudal castle destroyed in 1628 by order of
Cardinal Richelieu
Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...
. It is based in Rabodanges and in 1981 was classed as a Monument Historique
Château of la Forêt-Auvray is a 16th-century
Huguenots
The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...
fort, which in 2002 was registered as a Monument Historique.
Château du Meal is a 17th-century chateau in Chênedouit registered as a Monument historique in 1967.
La Droite Pierre Menhir is a
Neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
Menhir
A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the European middle Br ...
Robert d'Aguiló
Robert d'Aguiló (c. 1100 – c. 1159), also known as Robert Bordet, was a Norman knight who moved from Normandy to Catalonia in the early 12th century. He was a native of Cullei (modern Rabodanges in Orne, France), as reported by Orderic Vi ...
Benedictine
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...
, inventor, and
chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chÄ“m(Ãa)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...
, raised the son of a poor clock-maker was born here in 1803.Beach, Alfred Ely (1871). Stanislas Sorel. Sci. Am, 25, 151.
* Louis Dartige du Fournet was a French
vice admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral.
Australia
In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...
during
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
priest, who was
beatified
Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...
by
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI (; born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, ; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939) was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 until his death in February 1939. He was also the first sovereign of the Vatican City State u ...
in October 1926, was born in Repas.
See also
*
Communes of the Orne department
The following is a list of the 381 communes of the Orne department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2025):