Place de la Sirène

A well-known square in Mance, the Siren has been restored to its former glory!

This square is a crossroads. At the corner of rue de la Barillerie and rue Marchande, in the Saint-Nicolas district, stands a building whose sign depicts a mermaid rising from the waves to meet some ships. Dating from 1726, this is one of the first private mansions to be built in Le Mans, and is said to have belonged to the cheesecloth merchant Véron du Verger.

The statue of the mermaid, which is in fact a bas-relief, marks the expansion across the Atlantic of the trade in this highly sought-after cheesecloth invented by Jean Véron in the 17th century. The bas-relief has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1931.

In the centre of the square stands Claude Ribot's sculpture entitled "Sirènes", dating from 1991. It was recently renovated in 2022.