Mayenne, Mayenne
Encyclopedia
Mayenne is a commune
in the Mayenne
department in north-western France
. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is situated on the river Mayenne.
Mayenne was besieged two times 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 English airplanes, which caused heavy damage and numerous casualties.
, Germany, since the 1970s Devizes
, UK, since the 1970s Jesi
, Italy, since 2001
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Mayenne
Mayenne
Mayenne is a department in northwest France named after the Mayenne River.-History:Mayenne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. The northern two thirds correspond to the western part of the former province of Maine...
department in north-western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is a sub-prefecture 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 built a monastery near the gate of the pre-existing castle, which led to the formation of the settlement.Mayenne was besieged two times 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 English airplanes, which caused heavy damage and numerous casualties.
Main sights
- The Château, built in the 11th century over remains of a CarolingianCarolingian architectureCarolingian architecture is the style of north European Pre-Romanesque architecture belonging to the period of the Carolingian Renaissance of the late 8th and 9th centuries, when the Carolingian family dominated west European politics...
edifice. It has five towers, only one of which has kept its original conical roof. The vaulted rooms and the chapel have 13th century decorations. Once used as a prison, since 2008 it is home to a museum. - The Basilica of Notre-Dame, founded in 1100. Of the original building, the piers and the arcades of the nave remain.
- Romanesque church of St. Martin, enlarged in neo-medieval style during the 19th century.
Twin towns
Mayenne is twinned with: WaiblingenWaiblingen
Waiblingen 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 of the Rems-Murr district...
, Germany, since the 1970s Devizes
Devizes
Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The town is about southeast of Chippenham and about east of Trowbridge.Devizes serves as a centre for banks, solicitors and shops, with a large open market place where a market is held once a week...
, UK, since the 1970s Jesi
Jesi
thumb|250px|Teatro Pergolesi.Iesi is a town and comune of the province of Ancona in the Marche, Italy.It is an important industrial and artistic center in the floodplain on the left bank of the Esino river before its mouth on the Adriatic Sea.-History:Iesi was one of the last towns of the Umbri...
, Italy, since 2001