Mermaid Statue

The Place de la Sirène, in Le Mans

The Place de la Sirène, in old Le Mans, owes its name to two works paying tribute to the figure of the mermaid, at different eras. The Le Mans audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this original place, whose oldest witness is a bas-relief of 1726 representing a mermaid springing from the waves, classified as a historic monument, symbol of the openness to the world of the merchants of Le Mans.

The bas-relief of the merchants of estamine

Here you are on the Place de la Sirène. If this place bears such an evocative name, it is not by chance: it echoes two emblematic works that pay tribute to the mythological figure of the mermaid, each in its way and at a different era. Raise your eyes towards the façade, at the corner of the rues de la Barillerie and Marchande. On this wall of a former private mansion of the eighteenth century, a bas-relief represents a mermaid springing from the waves facing ships. This sculpture was made in 1726 for the Véron du Verger family, rich merchants specialised in the trade of estamine, a wool fabric much prized at the time. The mermaid symbolised here the openness to the world and the commercial dynamism of the district, whose prosperity rested on maritime exchanges. Classified as a historic monument since 1931, it is one of the oldest witnesses of the sculpted heritage of old Le Mans. A little lower, a second work, more recent, takes up the motif of the mermaid, prolonging this artistic dialogue across the centuries. The square, lined with old houses and cobbled alleys, keeps all the charm of the Plantagenet City and invites to raise the gaze to discover these sculpted details that tell the history of the city. A sculpted square and a merchant memory, the Place de la Sirène is a fine stop of the discovery of Le Mans.

What to see

Here you discover a square of old Le Mans that owes its name to two works dedicated to the figure of the mermaid; the oldest, a bas-relief of 1726 made for rich merchants of estamine, represents a mermaid springing from the waves facing ships, symbol of the commercial openness of the district, and is classified as a historic monument since 1931. The Place de la Sirène is a sculpted corner of old Le Mans. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Place de la Sirène lies in old Le Mans, at the corner of the rues de la Barillerie and Marchande, reachable on foot. It is a public square freely accessible; you admire the bas-relief by raising your eyes towards the façades. You discover it during a walk in the Plantagenet City.

What does the mermaid of the Place de la Sirène in Le Mans represent?

The oldest witness, a bas-relief of 1726 made for the rich family of estamine merchants Véron du Verger, represents a mermaid springing from the waves facing ships, symbol of the openness to the world and the commercial dynamism of the district; classified as a historic monument since 1931, it is one of the oldest elements of the sculpted heritage of old Le Mans.

Where is the Place de la Sirène in Le Mans?

In old Le Mans, at the corner of the rues de la Barillerie and Marchande, in France.