Release of the book Cérences, mon village by Alain Lefranc

Even if he became a resident of Sarthe out of professional obligation, Alain Lefranc, a retired gendarmerie officer, has never forgotten his Cerençais origins. Passionate about history, he meticulously explored the past of his native village to create a book.

See also: VIDEO. Kirk Depression, Northern Lights… The six news stories of the week to remember in Normandy

Alain Lefranc is a regular of the genre: Cérences, my village is his 7^e book. Before working on Cérences, I was interested in a few Sarthoise townsindicates the author. But it was this last book that took the most time. No less than five years were necessary, I wanted it to be as complete as possible .

Read also: The descendants of resistance fighters shot in Saint-Lô remember and pay tribute to their ancestors

480 pages to present all the facets of Cérences

It is complete, with its 480 pages divided into eight chapters richly illustrated with all kinds of documents, maps and photographs.

Read also: REPORTING. Visit to the Cérences cemetery, “an open-air history book”

Alain Lefranc presents all the facets of his village: the origin, the feudal and ecclesiastical history, the built heritage, the demography over time, the memories of war… To achieve my goals, I extensively consulted the departmental and diocesan archives and benefited from the valuable assistance of Jacky Brionne, local historian. .

These are his origins which explain this attachment to Cérences: Many of my ancestors lived there and worked the land there. My roots are here . He was also very interested in the two world wars and the way they scarred the territory.

Read also: In Granville, are the free media libraries full?

For these two episodes, Alain Lefranc also mentions family reasons: My grandfather died after the 14-18 war, as a result of being gassed there. As for my father, although nothing suggested it, a combination of circumstances meant that he became an aviator during the Second World War. .

With the publication of this book, Alain Lefranc also intends to fill a gap: Apart from the book Cerences by postcard and a biography of Désiré LemoutonI have not found any trace of works on Cérences. This is done .

Cérences, my village. Edition Alain Lefranc, 480 pages, €27. Reservation for €10 to be deposited by check at the town hall or at Michaël Briens (La Paronne village). Contact: Alain Lefranc, tel. 06 07 44 37 05; [email protected]