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Commune in Normandy, France
Bellême
Commune
An aerial view of BellêmeAn aerial view of Bellême
Coat of arms of BellêmeCoat of arms
Location of Bellême
Bellême is located in FranceBellêmeBellêmeShow map of FranceBellême is located in NormandyBellêmeBellêmeShow map of Normandy
Coordinates: 48°22′38″N 0°33′41″E / 48.3772°N 0.5614°E / 48.3772; 0.5614
CountryFrance
RegionNormandy
DepartmentOrne
ArrondissementMortagne-au-Perche
CantonCeton
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Rémy Tessier
Area1.71 km (0.66 sq mi)
Population1,456
 • Density850/km (2,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code61038 /61130
Elevation162–230 m (531–755 ft)
French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Bellême (French pronunciation: [bɛlɛm] ) is a commune in the Orne department in northwestern France. It is classed as a Petites Cités de Caractère. The musicologist Guillaume André Villoteau (1759–1839) was born in Bellême, as was Aristide Boucicaut (1810-1877), owner of Le Bon Marché, the world's first department store. This town is possibly the origin of the English and French surname Bellamy.

Location

At the heart of the Parc Naturel Régional du Perche, in the Orne Department, Bellême is on a hill that dominates the Perche area.

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 1,742—    
1975 1,843+0.81%
1982 1,849+0.05%
1990 1,788−0.42%
1999 1,774−0.09%
2009 1,547−1.36%
2014 1,616+0.88%
2020 1,455−1.73%
Source: INSEE

Heraldry

Arms of Bellême
Arms of Bellême
 The arms of Bellême are blazoned :
Sable, a triple-towered keep Or.

or
Azure semy de lys Or, a bordure gules bezanty (Or).



Sights

  • 17th century and eighteenth century houses.
  • 17th century Hôtel de ville.
  • Sundials on rue du Château, place de la République and place Liègeard.
  • Château gatehouse 15th century, and moat.

National heritage sites

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

  • Saint-Sauveur de Bellême Church 15th century, 16th century, rebuilt between 1675 and 1710.
  • Crypt of the Saint-Santin Chapel, dating from the tenth century.
  • Bansard des Bois Hotel - 18th Century hotel.
  • Governors House - 17th to 19th Century house built from the Hotel De Fontenay.
  • City gate entrance - Built in the 15th Century
  • Clock Tower - 13th Century polygonal tower and the only remaining parts of the old city walls.

Landscape

  • The town is built around the crest of a natural bowl, in which sits an outdoor lido (swimming pool), moto-cross circuit, stables and an expansive 18-hole golf course with adjacent hotel and holiday apartments.

Events

  • Les Mycologiades internationales : Annual international wild mushroom festival.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Bellême is twinned with:

Sports

  • The town's football club, FC Pays Bellêmois, compete in the Ligue de Football Basse-Normandie and the Coupe de France, playing their home games at the town's Terrain Intercommunal.
  • Moto Club Bellêmois hosts motocross events that welcome an international field of competitors.

Notable People

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 légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. "Commune de Bellême (61038)". INSEE.
  4. "Bellême et La Perrière conservent leur label de Petites cités de caractère pour 5 ans". actu.fr. 23 October 2019.
  5. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  6. "Les Monuments Historiques en Orne - 61". monumentum.fr.
  7. "Eglise Saint-Sauveur à Bellême - PA00110741". monumentum.fr.
  8. "Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Vieux-Château, dite chapelle Saint-Santin à Bellême - PA00110740". monumentum.fr.
  9. "Hôtel Bansard des Bois à Bellême - PA00110742". monumentum.fr.
  10. "Maison du Gouverneur à Bellême - PA00110743". monumentum.fr.
  11. "Ville Close à Bellême - PA00110744". monumentum.fr.
  12. "Tour de l'Horloge à Bellême - PA00110992". monumentum.fr.
  13. Jacobs, Crescida (8 May 2019). "Poison, Power and Perception: A Biography of Mabel of Belleme (1030-1082)" – via uh-ir.tdl.org. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. "Guillaume-André Villoteau". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA.
  15. "L'histoire de Marguerite et Aristide Boucicaut". Ouest-France.fr. 25 July 2018.
  16. "Alfred, Alexandre Bansard des Bois - Base de données des députés français depuis 1789 - Assemblée nationale". www2.assemblee-nationale.fr.
  17. "History Today in Medicine - Dr. Theodore Tuffier". CME India. 20 January 2023.
  18. "Les premiers pas sur le marché du travail d'Augustin de Romanet de Beaune, PDG d'Aéroports de Paris". 12 December 2014 – via Le Monde.

External links

Orne Communes of the Orne department
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