Condeau () is a former commune in the Canton of Bretoncelles, in the

Arrondissement of Mortagne-au-Perche The arrondissement of Mortagne-au-Perche is an Arrondissements of France, arrondissement of France in the Orne Departments of France, department in the Normandy Regions of France, region. It has 151 Communes of France, communes. Its population is 8 ...

, in the department of

Orne Orne (; nrf, Ôrne or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.Perche Perche () (French: ''le Perche'') is a former province of France, known historically for its forests and, for the past two centuries, for the Percheron draft horse breed. Until the French Revolution, Perche was bounded by four ancient territori ...

region) in north-western

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

: on 1 January 2016, it merged into the new commune of

Sablons-sur-Huisne Sablons-sur-Huisne (, literally ''Sablons on Huisne'') is a commune in the Canton of Bretoncelles, in the Arrondissement of Mortagne-au-Perche, in the department of Orne, northwestern France. It was established on 1 January 2016 by the merger o ...

Origins and etymology

Condeau is a town that lies near the river

Huisne The Huisne () is a long river in France. It is a left tributary of the river Sarthe, which it meets in Le Mans. Its source is near the town of Pervenchères, in the Orne department. The Huisne flows through the following departments and towns: ...

Lower Normandy Lower Normandy (french: Basse-Normandie, ; nrf, Basse-Normaundie) is a former administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, Lower and Upper Normandy merged becoming one region called Normandy. Geography The region included three departme ...

. The toponym "Condeau" is a diminutive of Condé, a neighboring town name as the confluence (Gaulish ''condate'') of the

and Corbionne rivers.

Demonym

The French demonym for people who live in Condeau is ''Condoléen''.

History

In 1789, after the ''Décret de la division de la France en départements'' created townships, Condeau became chief town of its canton. In 1801, the canton was abolished. On 1 January 2016, Condeau merged into

as a municipality under by Law Number 2010-1563 of 16 December 2010 on local government reform. The communes of Condeau, Condé-sur-Huisne, and

Coulonges-les-Sablons Coulonges-les-Sablons () is a former commune in the Orne department in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Sablons-sur-Huisne. The town council comprises eleven members, including the mayor and two deputies.

Population

In 2019, Condeau had 370 inhabitants. Condeau's population peaked at 1,034 inhabitants in 1821.

Sites

Sites in Condeau include: * Church of Saint-Denis (Église Saint-Denis): 16th-century church that houses three paintings registered as historic monuments * Villeray Castle (Château de Villeray ): 18th-century castle registered as an historic monument ** Old Mill on the Huisne (Ancien moulin sur l'Huisne): Dependency of the castle of Villeray ** Manor Grand Brolles: 16th-century chapel ** Radray Chapel (Chapelle de Radray)

Notable inhabitants

* Jacques-Claude Dugué d'Assé (1749-1830), French politician * Robert-Jules Garnier (1883-1958), French chief designer *

James Rossant James Stephan Rossant (August 17, 1928 – December 15, 2009) was an American architect, artist, and professor of architecture. A long-time Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, he is best known for his master plan of ...

(1928-2009), American architect and artist *

Colette Rossant Colette Rossant (born 1932) is a French-American cookbook author, journalist, translator, and restaurateur, who is a member of the Pallache family. Background Born in Paris, Rossant traveled with her mother to Cairo to live with her father and ...

(1932), French-American writer

References

Geography of Orne Former communes of Orne {{Orne-geo-stub