Gouffern en Auge

Gouffern en Auge (, literally Gouffern in Auge) is a commune in the department of Orne, northwestern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2017 by merger of the former communes of Silly-en-Gouffern (the seat), Aubry-en-Exmes, Avernes-sous-Exmes, Le Bourg-Saint-Léonard, Chambois, La Cochère, Courménil, Exmes, Fel, Omméel, Saint-Pierre-la-Rivière, Survie, Urou-et-Crennes and Villebadin.

Geography
The commune is made up of the following collection of villages and hamlets: Survie, Saint-Pierre-la-Rivière, La Frênée, Omméel, Avernes-sous-Exmes, Fel, Aubry-en-Exmes, Villebadin, Chantereine, Courménil, Fougy, La Bélière, Le Bourg, Exmes, Le Bourg-Saint-Léonard, Silly-en-Gouffern, Urou-et-Crennes, Cayenne, La Cochère and Gouffern en Auge.

Five rivers run through Gouffern en Auge: the Dives, the Dieuge, the Ure, the Vie and the Barges. In addition there are 20 streams that also traverse the commune:


 * 1) Roule-Crottes
 * 2) Etangs de Chagny
 * 3) Heude
 * 4) Pont aux Anes
 * 5) Rogneux
 * 6) Chedouit
 * 7) Costillets
 * 8) Fontaines Thiot
 * 9) Foulbec
 * 10) Noës
 * 11) Haies Cosnard
 * 12) Douaires
 * 13) Pont de Barges
 * 14) Querpont
 * 15) Val Roger
 * 16) l'Etang des Genets
 * 17) Courgeron
 * 18) Joncerai
 * 19) Moulin a Tan
 * 20) Mont-Ormel

Points of Interest

 * Hippodrome du pays d'Argentan is a racecourse for horse racing, based in Urou-et-Crennes.
 * Forest of Gouffern is a 4120 Hectare Forest that is split into two parts by the River Ure, Petite Gouffern to the south of the river and Grande Gouffern to the North.
 * Le coteau de la Butte is a Sensitive Natural Space of Orne, in Courménil. It is a 4 Hectare reserve, which you can observe its flagship species of Dactylorhiza viridis, Neotinea ustulata and Marsh fritillary.
 * Carrière de la Tourelle is a 2-hectare site in Aubry-en-Exmes classed as a Sensitive Natural Space of Orne. The site was created in 1987, and features fauna and flora such as dropwort, round-headed rampion and the Adonis blue butterfly.

National heritage sites
The commune has 12 buildings and areas listed as monument historiques


 * Château du Bourg-Saint-Léonard, an 18th-century chateau listed as a monument in 1942 in 1954 it was bequeathed to the local municipality.
 * Donjon de Chambois, a former medieval dungeon built in the 12th century, by William de Mandeville. It was registered as a monument historique in 1901.
 * Château d'Exmes, the remains of a tenth-century castle listed as a monument in 1979
 * Château de Villebadin, a 17th-century chateau listed as a monument in 1978
 * Château d’Aubry-en-Exmes, a 14th-century chateau listed as a monument in 1968
 * Château de Courménil, an 18th-century chateau listed as a monument in 1991
 * Manor of Argentelles, a 15th-century manor house listed as a monument in 1926. Henry IV of France stayed here in 1591.
 * Chateau de la Roche, an 18th-century chateau listed as a monument in 1974.
 * Saint-André Church, an 11th-century church in Exmes listed as a monument in 1913
 * Fougy Church, a 12th-century church in Le Bourg-Saint-Léonard listed as a monument in 1971
 * Saint-Martins Church, 12th-century church, that apart from Sées Cathedral is the only stone spire to have been built before the 15th century in Orne. Registered as a monument in 1914.
 * Pierre Levée Menhir, a Neolithic Menhir that was classed as a Monument historique in 1889.

Notable people

 * Opportuna of Montreuil (died 770), a Frankish Benedictine nun and abbess who was born here.
 * Herbert de Losinga (died 1119), the first Bishop of Norwich was born here.
 * François Le Prévost d'Exmes (1729-1793), a French writer, playwright and literary critic who was born here.
 * Marie Louis Descorches (1749-1830), a French diplomat was born here.
 * Martin-Guillaume Biennais (1764-1843), a French Gold and Silversmith was born here.
 * Victor Paysant (1841-1921) a priest who created The living and talking church of Ménil-Gondouin was born here.
 * Léon Bazalgette (1873-1928), a French literary critic, biographer and translator lived and was buried here.