Basilique Notre-Dame d'Avesnières

Laval

Founded in the 12th century by Guy III de Laval, lord of the town, this church combines a magnificent Romanesque chevet with five radiating chapels and a later Gothic nave — even though it is neither the oldest church in the Mayenne (that title belongs to the chapels of Notre-Dame-de-Pritz and Saint-Pierre at Saulges, dated to the 8th century) nor the cathedral of the diocese, a choice that fell in 1855 on the church of La Trinité. The great preacher Bernard of Clairvaux himself passed through Laval around 1147 while preaching the Second Crusade, obtaining from the local lord the means to found the Cistercian abbey of Clermont — a sign of the intense religious fervour that animated the town at that time.

Getting there : Free admission

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound