Overview

Saint-Samson was a small rural locality in the department of Mayenne, within the administrative region of Pays de la Loire in the northwest of France. It is recorded as having 334 inhabitants in the 1999 population count, a figure often cited in historical summaries of the village. The settlement is one of many French places whose names derive from a Christian saint; in this case, the dedication points to Saint Samson.

Location and administrative status

Before 2016 Saint-Samson was an independent commune, the lowest level of administrative division in France. Its former status is commonly described as a former commune. On 1 January 2016 its administration was consolidated into a new entity, joining neighboring territory to form a larger commune for administrative and practical purposes.

Merger into Pré-en-Pail-Saint-Samson

The formal fusion that ended Saint-Samson's independent communal status took effect on 1 January 2016 when it merged into Pré-en-Pail-Saint-Samson. Such mergers, often organized under national frameworks for creating a "commune nouvelle," are intended to streamline local governance, share services and respond to demographic or financial challenges facing small communes.

Characteristics and local life

Like many small villages in the region, Saint-Samson historically had an economy based on agriculture, local trades and services serving surrounding rural areas. The village pattern typically includes a central church or chapel, farmsteads and a compact settlement core; these features characterize much of the Mayenne countryside and its communal organization.

Demography and sources

Population counts for Saint-Samson are available in national census records; the commonly cited figure for the 1999 census is 334 residents, referenced here as the 1999 population count (1999 census). Later demographic trends contributed to the rationale for administrative consolidation.

For concise historical or administrative inquiries about this locality consult local municipal notices and regional statistical publications available through national and departmental services.