Last modified: 2021-07-05 by ivan sache
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Flag of Mayenne - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 16 April 2021
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The municipality of Mayenne (12,874 inhabitants in 2018; 1,988 ha) is located half distance (30 km) of Laval and Domfront.
Mayenne developed around a castle built in 900-920, an exceptional example of a Carolingian palace. The reception hall, the tower and the cellar are remarkably well preserved. The keep and ramparts, built in the 13th century to transform the castle into a fortress, still dominate the river and the town of Mayenne. The vaulted rooms and the chapel still have 13th cenbtury decorations.
In medieval times, the ford on river Mayenne was located in Brives, a site difficult to defend. The road was therefore diverted two kilometers to the south, so that it passed in front of the rocky promontory which hosts the castle of Mayenne. A new ford was therefore built in the current downtown of Mayenne. The modern town developed around a monastery established by Juhel II of Mayenne near the gate of the castle.
Mayenne was besieged twice during the French Wars of Religion, in 1574 and 1590, and suffered substantial damage. The town was rebuilt and re-embellished in the following century with the help of Cardinal Mazarin.
Olivier Touzeau, 16 April 2021
The flag of Mayenne (photo) is white with the municipal logo.
Olivier Touzeau, 16 April 2021