Mayenne
Subprefecture and commune
The Château de Mayenne, and the Mayenne river
Coat of arms
Location of Mayenne
Mayenne Show map of France Mayenne Show map of Pays de la Loire
Coordinates: 48°18′43″N 0°37′06″W / 48.312°N 0.6183°W / 48.312; -0.6183
Country	France
Region	Pays de la Loire
Department	Mayenne
Arrondissement	Mayenne
Canton	Mayenne
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Jean-Pierre Le Scornet[1]
Area 1	19.88 km2 (7.68 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	12,900
• Density	650/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	53147 /53100
Elevation	82–159 m (269–522 ft) (avg. 124 m or 407 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Mayenne (/maɪˈɛn/, 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).^[4]
• 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:^[5]

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