Contest, Mayenne

Commune in Pays de la Loire, France

Coat of arms

Location of Contest

(2020–2026) Daniel Montaufray^[1]Area

22.96 km² (8.86 sq mi)Population

(2021)^[2]

844 • Density37/km² (95/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal code

53074 /53100

Elevation77–152 m (253–499 ft)
(avg. 109 m or 358 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Contest is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.

The town is in the center of Lower Maine. Its village is 6 km south-west of Mayenne and 12 km north of Martigné-sur-Mayenne.

The name of the locality is attested in the form Constet in 1207. The place name honors the bishop of Bayeux of the sixth century, Contextus.^[3]

Notable Persons

Jacques Felix Jan de La Hamelinaye (1769-1861), general, retired to Contest at his retirement.
Bertrand Denis (1902 - 1986 in Contest), MP.
Louis Rouland (1907-1940), French aviator born in Contest.
Jean Yanne (1933-2003), actor, humorist, director. Born Roger-Jean Gouyé, from a family of clog makers who in the eighteenth century lived in the forest of Mayenne. His grandfather René-Jean Gouillet was born in Contest on 13 March 1789, and died in Fougères on 11 October 1855.

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ Albert Dauzat et Charles Rostaing, Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de lieux en France, Paris, Larousse, 1963