Mayenne (, ) is a commune in the

Mayenne Mayenne () is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne. Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and Ille-e ...

department, northwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

. It is a

subprefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefectures. ...

of the department. It is situated on the river

History

In medieval times, the town was the seat of the Lords of Mayenne. The town originated when

Juhel II of Mayenne Juhel is a French masculine given name derived from Judicael. It may refer to: * Juhel of Totnes * Juhel de Mayenne **Juhel I de Mayenne **Juhel II de Mayenne **Juhel III de Mayenne Juhel is a French masculine given name derived from Judicael. It ...

built a monastery near the gate of the pre-existing castle, which led to the formation of the settlement. Mayenne was besieged twice during the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mil ...

, in 1574 and 1590, and suffered substantial damage. It was rebuilt and re-embellished in the following century thanks to the help of

Cardinal Mazarin Cardinal Jules Mazarin (, also , , ; 14 July 1602 – 9 March 1661), born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino () or Mazarini, was an Italian cardinal, diplomat and politician who served as the chief minister to the Kings of France Louis XIII and Louis ...

. It however suffered from plague in 1707. On 9 June 1944, during World War II, it was bombed by the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

, which caused heavy damage and numerous casualties.

Population

Main sights

* The Château, built in the 10th century (900-920) is an exceptional example of a palace dating from the

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippi ...

period. Reception room, tower and cellar are remarkably well preserved. The dungeon and ramparts, built in the 13th century to transform the castle into a fortress, still proudly dominate the river and the town of Mayenne. The vaulted rooms and the chapel still have thirteenth century decorations. The chapel dating from the 19th century with its baroque decoration bears witness to the long period of time he was a prison. Once used as a prison, since 2008 it is home to the "Musée du Château de Mayenne" (the Mayenne Castle Museum). * The Basilica of Notre-Dame, founded in 1100. Of the original building, only the piers and the arcades of the nave remain. * Romanesque church of St. Martin, enlarged in neo-medieval style during the nineteenth century.

Notable people

* Guy Chantepleure, writer *

Paul Delaunay Paul-Marie Delaunay (16 February 1878 – 3 February 1958) was a French physician and historian. 1878 births 1958 deaths 20th-century French physicians {{France-med-bio-stub ...

, physician and historian *

Elias Durand Elias Durand (January 25, 1794 – August 15, 1873), born Élie Magloire Durand, was an American pharmacist and botanist.Makers of American Botany, Harry Baker Humphrey, Ronald Press Company, Library of Congress Card Number 61-18435 He was born ...

, pharmacist and botanist * Étiemble, writer * Marc Joulaud, politician * Édouard Lambert, sports shooter *

Jean-François Rivière Jean-François Rivière (born 28 February 1977) is a retired French footballer who played as a striker. His previous clubs include Chamois Niortais, Stade Lavallois, Amiens SC, Besançon RC, AC Ajaccio, Clermont Foot, and Gazélec Ajaccio. Car ...

, footballer * Romain Salin, footballer * Michel Tronchay, priest and historian *

Élie Sauvage Élie Sauvage, full name Élie François Victor Sauvage (13 May 1814 – 30 December 1871), was a 19th-century French playwright and novelist. He was the son of Angélique-Renée Rotureau and René Sauvage, a trader in Mayenne, Mayenne, Mayenne. ...

(1814–1871), playwright

Twin towns – sister cities

Mayenne is

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with: *

Devizes Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century civil war between St ...

, England, United Kingdom *

Jesi Jesi, also spelled Iesi (), is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Ancona in Marche, Italy. It is an important industrial and artistic center in the floodplain on the left (north) bank of the Esino river before its mouth on the Adriati ...

, Italy *

Waiblingen Waiblingen (; Swabian: ''Woeblinge'') is a town in the southwest of Germany, located in the center of the densely populated Stuttgart region, directly neighboring Stuttgart. It is the capital and largest city of the Rems-Murr district. , Waibli ...

, Germany

History

Population

Main sights

Notable people

Twin towns – sister cities

See also