Changé, Mayenne

The Diocese of Laval (Latin: Dioecesis Valleguidonensis; French: Diocèse de Laval) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The episcopal see is Laval Cathedral in the city of Laval. Created in June 1855, the diocese was originally erected from the Diocese of Le Mans, and corresponds to the department of Mayenne. Under the Ancien Régime the diocese of Mans had an Archdeacon of Laval, whose responsibilities extended over the deaneries of Ernée, Évrun, Laval and Mayenne. The diocese is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Rennes. The current bishop is Thierry Scherrer, appointed in 2008.

The battle of Laval took place on 22 October 1793, during the war in the Vendée and saw Vendéen victory over republican troops. This is the first major battle of a particular episode of the war called the Virée de Galerne.

Laval ([la.val] ) is a town in western France, about 300 km (190 mi) west-southwest of Paris, and the capital of the Mayenne department. Its inhabitants are called Lavallois. The commune of Laval proper, without the metropolitan area, is the 7th most populous in the Pays de la Loire region and the 132nd in France.A part of the traditional province of Maine before the French Revolution, which now split between two departments, Mayenne and Sarthe, Laval also lies on the threshold of Brittany and is not far from Normandy and Anjou. It was thus an important stronghold in northwestern France during the Middle Ages. Laval became a city during the 11th century, and was the cradle of the House of Laval, one of the most powerful families in Maine and Brittany. The counts of Laval developed a textile industry around 1300 and made Laval a significant centre for the French Renaissance a century later. The linen industry remained the principal activity in Laval until the 20th century, when milk processing became more profitable. Laval developed around a promontory, on which the castle was built, and along the river Mayenne. The Laval metropolitan area is a small economic centre in western France, particularly active in the industrial sector, dairy production, electronics and chemicals. Laval is economically oriented towards Rennes, the administrative capital of the region of Brittany, and located only 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of Laval. Laval proper covers 34.2 square kilometres (13.2 sq mi) and has a population of 49,573 inhabitants, while c. 144,000 live in its metropolitan area (1,435 square kilometres (554 sq mi)). The Laval Agglomération intercommunality is made up of 34 communes covering 686 square kilometres (265 sq mi) with 113,000 inhabitants.Laval is notably the birthplace of Henri Rousseau, a major Naïve painter, and the town has a museum dedicated to him and other Naïve artists. Laval also enjoys a significant architectural heritage, with its castle, portions of city walls, medieval houses, old bridges and churches.

Laval Cathedral (French: Cathédrale de la Sainte-Trinité de Laval) is a Roman Catholic church and a national monument in Laval, France. The cathedral has been listed since 1840 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture. Since the establishment of the Diocese of Laval in 1855, it has been its cathedral. The building dates back to the 11th century, but has been much altered and expanded in the 12th, 15th, 16th and 19th centuries.

The cantons of Laval are administrative divisions of the Mayenne department, in northwestern France. Since the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015, the city of Laval is subdivided into 3 cantons. Their seat is in Laval.

The arrondissement of Laval is an arrondissement of France in the Mayenne department in the Pays de la Loire region. It has 34 communes. Its population is 112,937 (2016), and its area is 686.1 km2 (264.9 sq mi).

Laval Agglomération is the communauté d'agglomération, an intercommunal structure, centred on the city of Laval. It is located in the Mayenne department, in the Pays de la Loire region, western France. It was created in 2001 as the Communauté d'agglomération de Laval. It was merged with the former communauté de communes du Pays de Loiron to form the communauté d'agglomération Laval Agglomération on 1 January 2019. Its area is 686.1 km2. Its population was 113,854 in 2016, of which 49,573 in Laval proper.

Saint-Germain-le-Fouilloux (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ ʒɛʁmɛ̃ lə fuju]) is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.

The Laval Castle (in French: Château de Laval) is a castle located in Laval, in the French department of Mayenne. Its foundation in the 10th century allowed the birth of the city. Emblematic monument of Laval, it occupies a rocky promontory above the Mayenne River. It is composed of two distinct ensembles: the Old Castle (in French: Vieux-Château), which corresponds to the medieval fortified castle, and the New Castle (in French: Château-Neuf), a Renaissance gallery transformed into a courthouse in the 19th century. These two monuments are on the list of the first 1,034 French historical monuments classified in 1840. The history of the Château de Laval is closely linked to that of the House of Laval, which began with Guy I, the founder of the castle. The monument bears witness to the multiple alliances contracted by this family, as well as to its power, which grew from the 11th century until its disappearance at the end of the Renaissance. The Old Castle is remarkable for its 11th century chapel as well as for its imposing main tower, topped by a 13th century wooden hoarding, an exceptional example of medieval military architecture. The richly worked bays of the medieval dwellings, built in the early 16th century, and the gallery of the Château-Neuf, dating from the 1540s, are striking elements of the Renaissance that show the evolution of architecture at that time. Since the relocation of the judicial services in the 2000s, the Château-Neuf has been awaiting reconversion. The Old Castle, which served as a prison from the Revolution to 1911, has been open to the public since the 1920s. Initially devoted to archaeology, natural history and decorative arts, it has been home to the Musée d'Art naïf et d'Arts singuliers de Laval since 1967. This museum presents works by numerous artists representative of Naive art and Art Singulier.

Laval station (French: Gare de Laval) is a railway station serving the town of Laval, Mayenne department, western France. It is situated on the Paris–Brest railway. The station is served by high speed trains to Paris and Rennes, and by regional trains (TER Pays de la Loire) towards Rennes, Angers, Le Mans and Nantes.

Stade Francis Le Basser is a multi-use stadium in Laval, France. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Stade Lavallois. The stadium is able to hold 11,107 people.

The Jardin botanique de la Perrine is a botanical garden located along the river Mayenne on the Allée Adrien-Bruneau, Laval, Mayenne, Pays de la Loire, France. It is open daily without charge. The garden was created in 1920 by Jules Denier on land purchased in 1885 by the city from its previous owner, who lost it to gambling debts. It consists of a French garden and a second English-style rose garden containing about a hundred rose varieties. Plants of interest include 20 types of camellia, Cedrus atlantica and Cedrus libani, Ginkgo biloba, Quercus ilex, Sequoiadendron, and an allée of Tilia platyphyllos some 120–130 years old. The garden also contains a memorial to native son Le Douanier Henri Rousseau (1844-1910), the painter, engraved with the autograph poem written by Guillaume Apollinaire in chalk on its stone, as well as a duck pond, an aviary of exotic birds and another of pigeons, and an orangerie now reworked as exhibition hall.