Lessay
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lessay | |
|---|---|
Town square | |
![]() Location of Lessay | |
| Coordinates: 49°13′05″N 1°31′46″W / 49.218°N 1.5294°W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Normandy |
| Department | Manche |
| Arrondissement | Coutances |
| Canton | Créances |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Stéphanie Maubé[1] |
Area 1 | 28.95 km2 (11.18 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 2,278 |
| • Density | 78.69/km2 (203.8/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 50267 /50430 |
| Elevation | 5–42 m (16–138 ft) (avg. 10 m or 33 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Lessay (French pronunciation: [lɛsɛ]) is a commune in the Manche department in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, the former commune of Angoville-sur-Ay was merged into Lessay.[3]
Lessay is a small town in the centre of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy.
History
It was founded as a monastery but a town grew up around it over the years. The 10th-century Lessay Abbey is one of the greatest examples of Romanesque architecture in Normandy. It was largely destroyed by fighting in the town during July–August 1944, but has been rebuilt.
Population
Population data refer to the area corresponding with the commune as of January 2025.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 1,597 | — |
| 1975 | 1,540 | −0.52% |
| 1982 | 1,561 | +0.19% |
| 1990 | 1,921 | +2.63% |
| 1999 | 1,993 | +0.41% |
| 2007 | 2,287 | +1.73% |
| 2012 | 2,259 | −0.25% |
| 2017 | 2,245 | −0.12% |
| 2023 | 2,278 | +0.24% |
| Source: INSEE[4] | ||
Heraldry
| The arms of Lessay are blazoned : Sable, a woodsman's axe palewise Or, blade to sinister.
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