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Aubigné-Racan |
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Aubigné-Racan
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Location within Pays de la Loire region
Aubigné-Racan
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Pays de la Loire |
| Department | Sarthe |
| Arrondissement | La Flèche |
| Canton | Mayet |
| Intercommunality | Aune et Loir |
| Mayor | Michel Royer (2001–2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 37–118 m (121–387 ft) (avg. 31 m/102 ft) |
| Land area1 | 32.03 km2 (12.37 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 2,114 (2006) |
| - Density | 66 /km2 (170 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 72620/ 72800 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Aubigné-Racan is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays-de-la-Loire in north-western France.
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The town has a Romanesque church from the 11th century.
Aubigné-Racan is the site of the archeological excavation of Cherré, a Gallo-Roman complex of 20 hectares from the 1st to the 3rd centuries. The site was likely a rural centre of commercial and religious activity before the Roman conquest. Excavations in 1977 by C. Lambert and J. Rioufreyt discovered an ancient theatre, two temples, Roman thermae, a forum and an aqueduct.
In the surrounding countryside, one can also find prehistoric standing stones, or dolmen ("dolmen de la Pierre" and "dolmen du Colombier")
Aubigné-Racan is the birthplace of the 17th century poet and dramatist Honorat de Bueil, seigneur de Racan. His birthplace, the Manoir de Champmarin, is still standing.