Between the vast plains of the Beauce and the green pastures of Normandy lies the hilly District of France with its deep forests, secluded lands and streams and verdant countryside. The Perche District has a rustic charm, and a countryside that today abounds in quality produce, free range poultry, fresh cream and butter and its nationally famous black sausage. Historically the Perche is an ancient province founded in 1114, made up of the counties of Mortagne, Nogent and Belleme. The local nobility, ' Rotrou Counts of Perche', chose the herringbone as their emblem, the imprint of their horses hooves. The Percheron horse one of the oldest breeds of cart horse became the symbol of the region. Perhaps significantly the Cloutiers noted as, 'makers of nails', played important roles in keeping the famous Percheron horses well shod.

was, in its early history, a fortified walled city on the summit of a hill. The first fortress was replaced by Fort Toussaint a stronghold comprised of three gates and several defense towers. The walls damaged during the Hundred Years War, were repaired in 1391 by Count Jean I of Alencon who built a second rampart bordering a ditch when the village expanded. The height and thickness of the walls and the more than twenty towers and bastions protected the city from the attacks of the English. Little by little the city overflowed with its corset of stone. Eventually the ramparts which were reconstructed by Louis XIII were abandoned, particularly during the course of the XVIII th century. The vestigial remains of only one tower remains to be seen.

	Rue St. Denis a lovely street in the village of Mortagne		A remnant section of the wall of the ancient fortified city of Mortagne.

In the seventeenth century the Perche District became the cradle of emigration to Canada. The descendants of 250 settlers who came to New France, today number more than 1,500,000 Canadians and countless more Americans.

Today is a charming little village with very little to show it was once an ancient fortfied town . Still today within its old walls one finds a treasure of narrow medieval, stone-pebbled streets. Huddling clusters of humble dwellings, sprinkled with sophisticated residences, topped by roofs of brown or reddish tile and dormer windows, give this inimitable town its unique stamp.

A subprefecture of only 5000 inhabitants, beautiful structures such as the St. Denis Gate, built between the XII and XV centuries still stand as a reminder of the former greatness of the town and the expertise of its artisans.

A beautiful stained glass window in the church of Notre Dame portrays the departure of Pierre Boucher to New France where he founded the town of Boucherville, now a suburb of Montreal.

NEW: NOVEMBER 99

A short walk along Rue des Halles and Rue des Marchands takes one to Place Notre Dame. Here is situated the majestic .Reconstructed after the 100 hundred years war, the cathedral was originally built as a replacement for the ancient chapel built in the days of Fort Toussaint. The original tower topped in about 1620 with a slate roof burned in 1887. Sadly the restored section collapsed in 1890. The resulting reconstuction limited itself to a structure to shelter the clock in the bell tower. Another interesting feature that was retained was the the special doorway with its flamboyant truncated gables, through which the ruling counts and their families entered the church. Of more recent historical note are the many bullet holes in the facade of the church illustrating the strategic importance that Mortagne had as recently as the Second World War, as Allied troops fought their way across Normandy.

 

At the corner of Rue des Vents and Rue General Leclerc stands an interesting building known as with its pavilion built of white stone. Its lounge and rotunda was the site of a reception for Emperor Napolen I and Empress Marie Louise on the 2nd of June 1811.

, just off the Rue de Portail St.Denis, was the original entrance to Old Fort Toussaint. Its classic tower sitting over a Thirteenth century arch is as distinctive, as it is beautiful. Indeed it is a work of art and without doubt one of the principle attractions of the city. The municipal library itself is of historic and architectural significance. Located immediately behind the St. Denis Gate it was built by the Counts of Perche in the Twefth Century. Known as , the main floor is the location of the library while the second floor is the location of the museum dedicated to Mortagne and France's well known philospher Emile Chartier dit Alain. Born in Mortagne on Rue de la Comedie, Alain's ideas still have profound influence amongst French and world philosophers.

In brief some other sites of interest in Mortagne include, . This closter was founded in 1502 by Marguerite de Lorraine Countesse of Perche. , built in the XVIII century it was the first three storied building in the area.

A visit to Mortagne would not be complete without eating in the local restaurants, shopping in the local stores and walking the stone- building lined streets whose very rocks give off a pungent odour not of decay, but of age. While the suburbs of the city do have modern newly constructed homes the essence of the city is in its centre, There its history, its past culture, its untold stories all can be seen or imagined as one walks its cobble stones and gazes at its walls.

During a visit to Mortagne in the summer of 1993 this writer and his wife dined at a local restaurant in Mortagne where some of our fellow diners charmed us with their warm welcome upon finding out not only that we were Canadians but also we could trace our ancestry to their community.

In subsequent days as we wandered this pretty village with its history, its charms, its secrets and its quiet ambience we could not help but wonder at the powerful and compelling forces that must have been present to lure? force? our ancestors to leave their homeland for the hardships and loneliness in a distant land..............New France!.......Now Canada!

In September of 1999 we again visited Mortagne this time staying at a marvelous little hotel called Hotel Tribunal a stones throw from the St. Denis Gate. Here we followed the "Circuit de Patrimoine" brochure published by the local Tourist board and to whom we give credit for some of the information we outline here. The remainder is based on our own observations. Any errors are those of this writer.

Not far from Mortagne lies another small village that played an important role in the Franco-Canadian immigration scheme. It was here that Dr. Robert Giffard first began the recruitment that led to so many men from the Perche district journeying to Canada. In Tourouvre the huge city square flanked on one side by the city hall, and on the other by the Cathedral, was the scene of many meetings of townspeople who gathered to hear Dr. Giffard speak of his travels to the New World with Samuel de Champlain. For his role with Champlain, Giffard was given a 'seigneurie' on the banks of the St. Lawrence river near the present city of Quebec. Dr Giffard returned to Tourouvre, near his original home, Autheuil, to tell of his experiences and to enlist as many men as possible to return with him to New France to settle.

The large square, where the meetings were held, still remains, and the Cathedral boasts a beautiful stained glass window showing the departure of the settlers from La Rochelle.

In addition the town has the "Musee de L'Histoire de L'Emigration Percheronne au Canada". ( The Museum of the Story of the Emigration of the people of the Perche District to Canada.)

Here in great detail is the story of the emigrants, who they were, and why they left. Our ancestor is prominently mentioned.

During our most recent visit to Tourouvre, Sept 1999 it was evident that changes had been made to the museum. The recent emphasis seems to have been put on those who migrated from Tourouvre as opposed to a much broader point of reference that was earlier used. There seem to be fewer hours available to viewers and a seeming reluctance to allow us entrance because the museum was not open the day we arrived, (middle of the week). After a fairly long wait a local constable accompanied us and opened the museum. Needless to say it was not a comfortable situation. A knowledge of at least the rudiments of French would be advisable if one plans to visit this otherwise useful site.