Sargé-sur-Braye (; ) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

French department In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety-s ...

Loir-et-Cher Loir-et-Cher (, ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. Its name is originated from two rivers which cross it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher in its southern part. Its prefecture is Blois. The INSEE and La P ...

administrative region Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

Centre-Val de Loire Centre-Val de Loire (, , ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (french: région Centre, link=no, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley ...

, France.

Geography

The commune is bathed by the Braye and the Grenne rivers, which join here before leading as the Braye to the

Loir The Loir () is a long river in western France. It is a left tributary of the Sarthe. Its source is in the Eure-et-Loir department, north of Illiers-Combray. It joins the river Sarthe in Briollay, north of the city of Angers. It is indirectly a ...

. The town is a part of the canton of Le Perche. It is bordered to the north by Cormenon, to the south by

Savigny-sur-Braye Savigny-sur-Braye (, literally ''Savigny on Braye'') is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France. Population Personalities * Jeanne Rij-Rousseau, (born 10 June 1870 in Candé – died 22 October 1956 in Savigny-sur-Braye) wa ...

, to the east by Épuisay and to the west by

Saint-Calais Saint-Calais () is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. Prior to the French Revolution it was known for its Benedictine abbey named after the Anisola stream (modern Aniole, a tributary of ...

History

Between 29 January and 8 February 1939, more than 3,100 Spanish refugees fleeing the collapse of the

Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 A ...

under Franco, arrived in

. Faced with a lack of buildings to welcome them (the stud farm at

Selles-sur-Cher Selles-sur-Cher (, ) is a commune in the French department of Loir-et-Cher, administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. The name of the commune is known internationally for its goat cheese, Selles-sur-Cher, which was first made in t ...

had been used), 47 villages provide accommodation, including Sargé-sur-Braye. The refugees, essentially women and children, were subjected to a strict quarantine and vaccinated. Mail was limited. Supplies, though lacking variety and cooked the French way, were, however, assured. In the spring and summer, the refugees were regrouped at Bois-Brûlé (commune of

Boisseau Boisseau () is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department in central France. Population See also *Communes of the Loir-et-Cher department The following is a list of the 267 communes of the Loir-et-Cher department of France. The communes ...

Population

Sights

* Église Saint-Martin. This church been listed since 1958 as a historic monument by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visual, ...

. Dating originally from the 10th century, its present form is from 1549. There are traces of 14th century painted murals. * Église Saint-Cyr, and its jacquemart. * Château des Radrets has been listed since 1977 as a ''monument historique''. Parts of it date back to the 15th century; it was extensively altered in the 18th. * Château de Montmarin has been listed since 1986 as a ''monument historique''. Originally 17th century, it was altered in the 18th and 19th. * Château du Fief Corbin * Roussard quarry