Mayenne (, ) is a commune in the Mayenne 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 of the department. It is situated on the river Mayenne.

History

In medieval times, the town was the seat of the

Lords of Mayenne Duke of Mayenne (duc de Mayenne) is a title created for a cadet branch of the House of Guise. It subsequently passed by marriage to the Gonzaga in 1621. They sold it to Cardinal Mazarin in 1654; he bestowed it on his niece, Hortense Mancini in 1 ...

. 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. It however suffered from plague in 1707. On 9 June 1944, during World War II, it was bombed by the RAF, 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 Marc Joulaud (born 3 September 1967 in Mayenne) is a French politician who served as Member of the European Parliament for the West France constituency from 2014 until 2019. He is a member of the French center right party Les Républicains (LR). ...

, politician * Édouard Lambert, sports shooter * Jean-François Rivière, footballer * Romain Salin, footballer * Michel Tronchay, priest and historian * Élie Sauvage (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, England, United Kingdom * Jesi, Italy * Waiblingen, Germany

References

External links

Official Web site
Communes of Mayenne Subprefectures in France Maine (province) Diablintes {{Mayenne-geo-stub