Moncé-en-Belin

Moncé-en-Belin is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France.

The commune is historically in the Haut-Maine part of the province of Maine.

Toponymy
The suffix Belin expresses the belonging of the commune to the territory of Belinois.

During the French Revolution, the town bore the name of Moncé-lès-Le Mans, in reference to the nearby city of Le Mans.

Geography
Moncé-en-Belin is located 12 km south of Le Mans, 10 km north-west of Écommoy, and about 8 km from the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit. The commune is a part of the community of communes of Orée de Bercé - Belinois, in southern Sarthe.


 * Latitude: 47° 53' 41 '' N
 * Longitude: 0° 11' 53 '' E
 * Altitude: 40–81 m

Local culture and heritage
The area around the town has several sites of notable historical value, including the following:


 * Church of Saint-Étienne from the 11th century, containing a retable set, a mural of the Virgin Mary, a painting, and two statues, which have been given the designation of Monument historique
 * Chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Bois from 1828
 * War memorial
 * Monument to the eight airmen (six Canadians, one English, and one Australian) who died on 23 May 1944, during World War II
 * Castle mound of Vaux
 * Roman camp
 * Château de la Gourdinière
 * Château de la Beaussonière
 * Hattonnieres Castle