FRANCE	FRANCE
région: Pays de la Loire
département: 72, Sarthe

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• lt: Le Manas • lv: Lemāna
• el: Λε Μαν
• mk, sr: Ле Ман • be, ru, uk: Ле-Ман • bg: Льо Ман

Le Mans is situated at an elevation of 49 m at the confluence of the river Huisne into the Sarthe in the French Région Pays de la Loire, about 156 km northeast of the regional capital, Nantes. Le Mans is the administrative seat of the Département Sarthe. The muicipality has a population of about 146,200 (2023).

Le Mans was first mentioned by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD as Vindinium, later sources cite it as Cenomanus. Ceized by the Romans in 47 BC, it was within the Roman province of Gallia Lugdunensis (named after its capital, today Lyon). As the principal city of Maine, Le Mans was the stage for struggles in the eleventh century between the counts of Anjou and the dukes of Normandy. In the 13th century Le Mans came under the control of the French crown. It was subsequently invaded by England during the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453). Industrialization took place in the 19th century which saw the development of railway and motor vehicle production as well as textiles and tobacco manufacture. Since 1923, the city has hosted the '24 Hours of Le Mans' ('Les 24 Heures du Mans'), the world's oldest active endurance sports car race.

The Cathédrale Saint-Julien du Mans [left, no. 0000] is dedicated to St. Julian of Le Mans, the city's first bishop, who established Christianity in the area around the beginning of the 4th century. Nothing is known about the form of the original church founded here. However, due to the detailed reports in a 9th century document (the 'Actus pontificum Cenomannis in urbe degentium') we know that a major rebuilding of Julian's original cathedral took place at htat time. This new building was designed to house the relics of St. Julien. The current building (depicted on the glass) was built following a fire in 1134. In 1217, the cathedral chapter obtained authorisation to demolish part of the 4th-century Gallo-Roman city walls, which had blocked expansion to the east. Work on a greatly enlarged eastern end began immediately, and the new choir was consecrated in 1254. The south transept was begun in the 1380s and completed in 1392, work on its northern counterpart began in 1403 but was not completed until the 1430s. The cathedral thus combines a Romnesque nave with a High Gothic choir and transept.

[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Mans, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Mans; https://www.fallingrain.com/world/FR/B5/Le_Mans.html; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Mans_Cathedral]