• Source: Mayenne (commune)

Mayenne (, French: [majɛn] ) is a commune in the Mayenne department, northwestern France. 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. The town originated when Juhel II of Mayenne (lord of Mayenne, Gorron and Ambrières (1110–1161)) 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, 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 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, physician and historian
Elias Durand, pharmacist and botanist
Étiemble, writer
Marc Joulaud, 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 with:

Devizes, England, United Kingdom
Jesi, Italy
Waiblingen, Germany




Climate






See also


Communes of Mayenne
Jublains archeological site




References






External links


Official Web site

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Val-du-Maine
• Daftar commune Prancis bernama Saint-Germain
• Guadeloupe
• Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
• Moselle
• Mayenne (commune)
• Communes of the Mayenne department
• Mayenne
• Laval, Mayenne
• Martigné-sur-Mayenne
• Mayenne (river)
• Mayenne (disambiguation)
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• Saint-Jean-sur-Mayenne