Domfront, Orne

Domfront
Domfront
Part of Domfront-en-Poiraie
	The city hall
	Coat of arms
	show Location of Domfront
	Domfront Show map of FranceShow map of NormandyShow all
	Coordinates: 48°31′10″N 0°45′23″W / 48.5194°N 0.7564°WCoordinates: 48°31′10″N 0°45′23″W / 48.5194°N 0.7564°W
Country	France
Region	Normandy
Department	Orne
Arrondissement	Alençon
Canton	Domfront (chef-lieu)
Commune	Domfront-en-Poiraie
Area 1	35.54 km2 (13.72 sq mi)
Population (2017)	3,459
• Density	97/km2 (250/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Domfrontais
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Postal code	61700
Elevation	117–256 m (384–840 ft) ; (avg. 135 m or 443 ft)
Website	www.ville-domfront.fr
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Domfront is a former commune in the Orne department in north-western France.^[2] On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Domfront-en-Poiraie.^[3]

Geography[]

The Romanesque church Notre-Dame-sur-L'eau

Domfront is situated on a bluff overlooking the Varenne river^[4] and is said to have been established in the 6th century round the oratory of the hermit St. Front, and played an important part in the wars against the English and the French Wars of Religion.^[4] Beginning from the strategically sited castle of Domfront, the dispossessed count Henry, youngest son of William the Conqueror, rallied support among local lords and eventually ruled the Anglo-Norman dominions as Henry I of England.^[5]

In 1574 it was occupied by the Protestant leader Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, who after a stubborn siege was forced to yield it to .^[4]

It has been subjected to floods when the river Varenne burst its banks, causing widespread havoc and damage to many of the buildings and houses that lay in its path. On 23 December 2020 occurred the highest on record since 1995, when les tanneries were badly affected with the ancient stone bridge being impassable.

Notable people[]

Claude Du Vall -notorious highwayman in England in the 17th century.

References[]

^ Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2017, INSEE
^ INSEE
^ Arrêté préfectoral 21 December 2015 (in French)
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Domfront". Encyclopædia Britannica. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 399–400.
^ C. Warren Hollister, Henry I (Yale English Monarch) 2001:85ff, 90ff.