a town in the department of Sarthe, in France, capital of an arrondissement of the same name, is situate near the source of the Orne, in a hilly and barren country, 27 miles N.N.E. of Le Mans. The town contains two squares, but the streets are few and unpaved. The principal buildings are,—the government offices, a college, a theatre, and a prison; and there are manufactories of linen, calicoes, hosiery, &c., besides tanneries and breweries. There is also a considerable trade in grain, wine, brandy, wax, cattle, and sheep. The town is supposed to have derived its name from a temple of Mars erected in this district by the Romans; and was anciently a place of considerable strength. After being for some time in the possession of the English, the fortifications were destroyed by them in 1428. Pop. (1851) 5960.