Putanges-le-Lac (French pronunciation: [pytɑ̃ʒ lə lak]) is a commune in the department of Orne, northwestern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2016 by merger of the former communes of Chênedouit, La Forêt-Auvray, La Fresnaye-au-Sauvage, Ménil-Jean, Putanges-Pont-Écrepin (the seat), Rabodanges, Les Rotours, Saint-Aubert-sur-Orne and Sainte-Croix-sur-Orne.^[3]

The commune is part of the area known as Suisse Normande.^[4]

The commune is made up of the following collection of villages and hamlets, Putanges-Pont-Écrepin,La Ferronnière, La Forêt-Auvray, Saint-Aubert-sur-Orne,Rabodanges,Les Rotours, Méguillaume, Chênedouit, Sainte-Croix-sur-Orne, La Fresnaye-au-Sauvage, Ménil-Jean and Fromentel.

Putanges-le-Lac along with another 69 communes shares part of a 20,593 hectare, Natura 2000 conservation area, called the Haute vallée de l'Orne et affluents.^[5] In addition the Commune with another 20 communes shares part of a 2,115 hectare, Natura 2000 conservation area, called the Vallée de l'Orne et ses affluents.^[6]

The river Orne runs through the commune, along with five streams which are all one of the Orne's tributaries, Vienne, la Guesnerie, Gue Blandin, Monts Hiboux and Ruisseau des Vallees.^[7] There is one more stream the Maufy which feeds into the Rouvre.^[8]

• Lac de Rabodanges is a 6 km artificial lake covering almost 240 acres, making it the largest lake in Lower Normandy.^[10] It was created in 1960 after completion of building a dam at Rabodanges. The dam is 160 meters long and 17 metres high holding back 6 million cubic meters of water.^[11] The lake is now a popular tourist destination and had a designated swimming area opened in August 2022.^[12]

• 
  Rabodanges Lac
• 
  Lac de Rabodanges Swimming area

• Pierre de la Roussellière is a Menhir in Forêt-Auvray.^[13][14]

The Commune has 6 buildings and areas listed as a Monument historique.

Manoir de la Cour is a 15th-century manor house in Saint-Aubert-sur-Orne with later additions added in the 17th century, classed as a Monument historique in 2011.^[15]

Former village of Vieux-Saint-Aubert the remains of a village in Saint-Aubert-sur-Orne with buildings dated from the 12th and 14th century, that was registered as a Monument Historique in 1992.^[16]

Château de Rabodanges is a 17th-century chateau built in place of a feudal castle destroyed in 1628 by order of Cardinal Richelieu. It is based in Rabodanges and in 1981 was classed as a Monument Historique ^[17]

Château of la Forêt-Auvray is a 16th-century Huguenots fort, which in 2002 was registered as a Monument Historique.^[18]

Château du Meal is a 17th-century chateau in Chênedouit registered as a Monument historique in 1967.^[19]

La Droite Pierre Menhir is a Neolithic Menhir based in Chênedouit was classed as a Monument Historique in 1981.^[20]

• 
  Chateau du repas
• 
  Chapelle Saint-Malo de la Fresnaye-au-Sauvage
• 
  Rabodanges Chateau
• 
  Église Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption des Rotours
• 
  Manoir de Sainte-Croix-sur-Orne
• 
  Putanges mairie
• 
  Chapelle Sainte-Geneviève de Putanges-Pont-Écrepin
• 
  Église Notre-Dame de Méguillaume

• Charles-François Toustain a French historian and a member of the Benedictine Congregation of Saint Maur was born in Le Repas in 1700.^[21]
• Jean Vauquelin de la Fresnaye a French poet born at the château of La Fresnaye-au-Sauvage in 1536.^[22]
• Robert d'Aguiló a Norman Knight born c.1100AD in Rabodanges.^[23]
• Guillaume-René Lefébure a French military, historian, physician, political writer and man of letters born in 1744 at Sainte-Croix-sur-Orne.^[24]
• Robert Guérin du Rocher a Jesuit priest, who was beatified by Pope Pius XI in October 1926, was born in Repas.^[25]

• Communes of the Orne department