a special assassin: a pig who had eaten the infant of the mason Souvet in the village. This was common in the Middle Ages, where several excommunications of murderous pigs were reported for the city of Rouen alone and their hanging for similar reasons. In the 15th century, the castle was destroyed. There is only a large square, located in height on the feudal clod; originally called the "Castle Square", it was recently renamed Neustadt-am-Rübenberge square in honour of the German town of Neustadt am Rübenberge, which was twinned with La Ferté-Macé. Only the bell tower of the Romanesque church, adjoining the great Church of Our Lady, is preserved from medieval times. Ferté-Macé survived until the 18th century as a small town of a good thousand inhabitants, living in handicrafts and local trade. This craft, already in the form of home weaving, was a precursor to the following century when the city became a major textile centre. Population The population data given in the table below refer to the commune in its geography as of January 2020. Twin towns Ludlow, Shropshire, England Savoigne-Biffèche, Senegal Neustadt am Rübenberge, Germany Saint-Maurice, Quebec, Canada Heraldry See also Communes of the Orne department Parc naturel régional Normandie-Maine References Fertemace Orne communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia