LAVAL

town, capital of Mayenne dpartement, Pays de la Loire region, northwestern France, east of Rennes. The old quarters of the town, which have fine 16th- and 18th-century houses and two chteaus, are located on the west bank slopes of the Mayenne River and are surrounded by the modern town on both sides of the river. The old castle of the counts of Laval, a medieval stronghold, has been restored and houses a museum. The Chteau Neuf (New Chateau), a Renaissance building also called the Gallery of the Counts of Laval, was restored and enlarged in the 19th century to become the Palais de Justice. The cathedral, dating partly from the 11th century, has been considerably reconstructed and enlarged. The old castle, around which the town of Laval grew, was built early in the 10th century by Guy II, one of the first lords of Laval. The lords, and later the counts, of Laval among whom were the Montmorencys and the Montforts, played a prominent role in French history. After the French Revolution the counterrevolutionary Venden army, during the Wars of the Vende at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, twice captured the castle from the Republicans. When the Republicans crushed the insurgents they executed the Prince de Talmont, lord of Laval and general of the Venden cavalry, in front of the castle gates. Today Laval is a centre for a textile industry (linen and cotton) and manufactures shoes and leather goods. Industrial growth has occurred in manufactures such as electronics and printing. Pop. (1982) 49,426. city, seat of Laval region, southern Quebec province, Canada. It occupies the whole of le Jsus (Jesus Island), just north of le de Montral from which it is separated to the south by the Rivire des Prairies and from the mainland to the north by the Rivire des Mille les; both rivers are extensions of the Ottawa, which flows into the St. Lawrence below Montreal city. le Jsus, 20 mi (32 km) long by 8 mi wide, with an area of 95 sq mi (246 sq km), was first settled in 1681. In 1699 it was granted to the Society of Jesus, and named for Franois de Montmorency Laval, the first Roman Catholic bishop of Canada. By 1702 a parish known as Saint-Franois de Sales was established. Development of Montreal suburban communities on the island was relatively slow until the post-World War II years. In 1959, because of industrialization and urban growth, the Interurban Corporation of le Jsus was formed. In 1965 the city of Laval was created by merging the island's cities of Chomedey, Duvernay, Laval-des-Rapides, Laval Ouest, Pont-Viau, Sainte-Rose, and the towns of Auteuil, Fabreville, les-Laval, Laval-sur-le-Lac, Sainte-Dorothe, Saint-Franois, Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, and Vimont. Since the opening of industrial parks in the 1960s, planned industrial development has been rapid. Manufactures include television and radio sets, lithographic printed materials, paper, aluminum, iron and steel products, pharmaceuticals, and dairy foods. Inc. city, 1965. Pop. (1991) 314,398.