Saint-Calais

Saint-Calais
Commune
The town hall of Saint-Calais
Coat of arms
Location of Saint-Calais
Saint-Calais Show map of France Saint-Calais Show map of Pays de la Loire
Coordinates: 47°55′16″N 0°44′38″E / 47.9211°N 0.7439°E / 47.9211; 0.7439
Country	France
Region	Pays de la Loire
Department	Sarthe
Arrondissement	Mamers
Canton	Saint-Calais
Intercommunality	Vallées de la Braye et de l'Anille
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Marc Mercier[1]
Area 1	22.76 km2 (8.79 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	3,054
• Density	130/km2 (350/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Calaisien, Calaisienne Saint-Calaisien, Saint-Calaisienne
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	72269 /72120
Elevation	87–163 m (285–535 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Saint-Calais (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ kalɛ]) is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France.

Prior to the French Revolution it was known for its Benedictine abbey named after the Anisola stream (modern Aniole, a tributary of the Braye). Saint-Calais is a later name coming from one of the local saints of the Perche area. William of St. Calais, a product of this monastery, was a post-conquest bishop of Durham. There are no remains of the Abbey, which was a principal land-owner in the vicinity. The existing parish church has a fine Renaissance facade. The Aniole was dammed by the monks, thereby retaining a significant lake area.

Reaction against monastic landowners and the relative proximity to Paris (under twenty-four hours by stage-coach) conditioned the nineteenth century politics of the town. The coming of the railways and more recently of the motorway favoured neighbouring La Ferté-Bernard which has grown at the expense of Saint-Calais, which has a population under 4000 and which lost its sous-préfecture status in 1926. The town however retains certain services appropriate to that level, e.g. hospital facilities.