Putanges-le-Lac

Putanges-le-Lac is a commune in the department of Orne, northwestern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2016 by merger of the former communes of Chênedouit, La Forêt-Auvray, La Fresnaye-au-Sauvage, Ménil-Jean, Putanges-Pont-Écrepin (the seat), Rabodanges, Les Rotours, Saint-Aubert-sur-Orne and Sainte-Croix-sur-Orne.

Geography
The commune is part of the area known as Suisse Normande.

The commune is made up of the following collection of villages and hamlets, Putanges-Pont-Écrepin,La Ferronnière, La Forêt-Auvray, Saint-Aubert-sur-Orne,Rabodanges,Les Rotours, Méguillaume, Chênedouit, Sainte-Croix-sur-Orne, La Fresnaye-au-Sauvage, Ménil-Jean and Fromentel.

The river Orne runs through the commune, along with five streams which are all one of the Orne's tributaries, Vienne, la Guesnerie, Gue Blandin, Monts Hiboux and Ruisseau des Vallees. There is one more stream the Maufy which feeds into the Rouvre.

Notable buildings and places

 * Lac de Rabodanges is a 6 km artificial lake covering almost 240 acres, making it the largest lake in Lower Normandy. It was created in 1960 after completion of building a dam at Rabodanges. The dam is 160 meters long and 17 metres high holding back 6 million cubic meters of water. The lake is now a popular tourist destination and had a designated swimming area opened in August 2022.


 * Pierre de la Roussellière is a Menhir in Forêt-Auvray.

National heritage sites
The Commune has 6 buildings and areas listed as a Monument historique.

Manoir de la Cour is a 15th-century manor house in Saint-Aubert-sur-Orne with later additions added in the 17th century, classed as a Monument historique in 2011.

Former village of Vieux-Saint-Aubert the remains of a village in Saint-Aubert-sur-Orne with buildings dated from the 12th and 14th century, that was registered as a Monument Historique in 1992.

Château de Rabodanges is a 17th-century chateau built in place of a feudal castle destroyed in 1628 by order of Cardinal Richelieu. It is based in Rabodanges and in 1981 was classed as a Monument Historique

Château of la Forêt-Auvray is a 16th-century Huguenots fort, which in 2002 was registered as a Monument Historique.

Château du Meal is a 17th-century chateau in Chênedouit registered as a Monument historique in 1967.

La Droite Pierre Menhir is a Neolithic Menhir based in Chênedouit was classed as a Monument Historique in 1981.

Notable People

 * Charles-François Toustain a French historian and a member of the Benedictine Congregation of Saint Maur was born in Le Repas in 1700.
 * Jean Vauquelin de la Fresnaye a French poet born at the château of La Fresnaye-au-Sauvage in 1536.
 * Robert d'Aguiló a Norman Knight born c.1100AD in Rabodanges.
 * Guillaume-René Lefébure a French military, historian, physician, political writer and man of letters born in 1744 at Sainte-Croix-sur-Orne.
 * Robert Guérin du Rocher a Jesuit priest, who was beatified by Pope Pius XI in October 1926, was born in Repas.