Perche
Perche () (French: ''le Perche'') is a former Provinces of France, province of France, known historically for its forests and, for the past two centuries, for the Percheron draft horse, draft horse breed. Until the French Revolution, Perche was ...
Orne
Orne (; or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. The municipality was established on 1 January 2017 by merger of the former communes of
Le Gué-de-la-Chaîne
Le Gué-de-la-Chaîne () is a former commune in the Orne department in north-western France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Belforêt-en-Perche.Eperrais
Eperrais () is a former commune in the Orne department in north-western France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Belforêt-en-Perche.
,
Origny-le-Butin
Origny-le-Butin () is a former commune in the Orne department in north-western France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Belforêt-en-Perche.La Perrière,
Saint-Ouen-de-la-Cour
Saint-Ouen-de-la-Cour () is a former Communes of France, commune in the Orne Departments of France, department in north-western France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Belforêt-en-Perche.Sérigny. La Perrière is classed as a
Petites Cités de Caractère Petite Cité de Caractère is a label awarded to towns or villages that meet a set of criteria as set by the Petites Cités de Caractère de France. As of 2021 there are more than 200 communes listed as a Petite Cité de Caractère.
History
The la ...
.
Geography
Belforêt-en-Perche along with the communes of
Vaunoise
Vaunoise () is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.
Geography
Vaunoise along with the communes of Belforêt-en-Perche, Saint-Martin-du-Vieux-Bellême, Igé and Appenai-sous-Bellême is part of the Bois et coteaux calcai ...
,
Saint-Martin-du-Vieux-Bellême
Saint-Martin-du-Vieux-Bellême () is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.
Geography
Saint-Martin-du-Vieux-Bellême along with the communes of Vaunoise, Belforêt-en-Perche, Igé and Appenai-sous-Bellême is part of th ...
Appenai-sous-Bellême
Appenai-sous-Bellême (, ''Appenai under Bellême'') is a commune in the Orne department in northwestern France.
Geography
Appenai-sous-Bellême along with the communes of Vaunoise, Saint-Martin-du-Vieux-Bellême, Igé and Belforêt-en-Perc ...
is part of the
Bois et coteaux calcaires sous Belleme Bois et coteaux calcaires sous Belleme translated as the limestone woods and hillsides under Belleme is a Natura 2000 conservation area that is 105 hectares in size.
Geography
The area is based on Oxfordian limestone formations that create dry to ...
a
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 ...
conservation site. The site measures 105 hectares and is home to the
European stag beetle
''Lucanus cervus'', known as the European stag beetle, or the greater stag beetle, is one of the best-known species of stag beetle (family Lucanidae) in Western Europe, and is the eponymous example of the genus. ''L. cervus'' is listed as Near T ...
and
European ash
''Fraxinus excelsior'', known as the ash, or European ash or common ash to distinguish it from other types of Fraxinus, ash, is a flowering plant species in the olive family Oleaceae. It is native throughout mainland Europe east to the Caucasus ...
.
The Commune along with another 70 communes also shares part of another
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 ...
conservation area, called the
Forêts et étangs du Perche Forêts et étangs du Perche translated as the Forest and ponds of Perche is a Natura 2000 conservation area that is 47,681 hectares in size.
Geography
The area is a vast ecocomplex with a strong dominance of forest habitats, but also containing ...
.
The source of 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: ...
is within the commune.
points of Interest
*Botanical Garden of Le Bois du Puits is a
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...
that was made open to the public in 2012, featuring over 2,000 species of plants.
*La Perrière botanical garden is a 230 m2 botanical garden in La Perrière to highlight plants of the local area.
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, ...
*Former priory of Chènegallon a seventeenth century former priory in Eperrais.
*l'Evêque lodge a seventeenth century former lodge in La Perrière.
*Château de Morthimer a sixteenth century chateau in La Perrière.
*Château du Tertre a seventeenth century chateau in Sérigny, that from 1926 was home to
Nobel prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...
winning novelist
Roger Martin du Gard
Roger Martin du Gard (; 23 March 1881 – 22 August 1958) was a French novelist, winner of the 1937 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Biography
Trained as a paleographer and archivist, he brought to his works a spirit of objectivity and a scrupulous ...
. The grounds and Estate are shared with the neighbouring commune of
Saint-Martin-du-Vieux-Bellême
Saint-Martin-du-Vieux-Bellême () is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.
Geography
Saint-Martin-du-Vieux-Bellême along with the communes of Vaunoise, Belforêt-en-Perche, Igé and Appenai-sous-Bellême is part of th ...
*Manoir de Soisai a sixteenth century Manor house in La Perrière.
*Lods house a twentieth century house in Sérigny built by architect Marcel Lods.
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):