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Origin and history

The cathedral of the Sainte-Trinité de Laval came into being in the 11th century, when the monks of the abbey of the Couture du Mans founded a parish chapel around 1070. This first building, of Romanesque style and small size, is built inside the ramparts of Laval, with an atypical orientation to the southeast due to the small size of the land. The chapel became a parish church between 1150 and 1185, with notable enlargements, including the addition of angevin Gothic vaults and the reconstruction of the bell tower. A fire in 1383 triggered by lightning, seriously damaged the building, melting the lead from the roof.

In the 15th century, after the ravages of the Hundred Years' War, Laval experienced economic growth thanks to the trade in canvases. The church of the Trinity enjoys this prosperity: a sacristy was added in 1462, a porch in 1465, and the Romanesque choir was rebuilt in 1482 on an enlarged surface, borrowed from an old cemetery. The 16th century saw the building expand further, despite space constraints, with the addition of two Renaissance-style chapels between 1517 and 1541, financed by parishioners. These chapels, with oval domes and decorated portals, contrast with the rest of the church. In 1563, a new fire destroyed the arrow, replaced by a square tower.

The French Revolution partially spared the building, transformed into the Temple of Reason, but many statues were destroyed. In the 19th century, major extensions were made: a neo-Roman transept arm was added between 1847 and 1850, symmetrical to the extensions of the 16th century, and the cathedral was officially erected in 1855. Major renovations took place at the end of the 19th century, including the reconstruction of the southern façade and the elevation of the bell tower in 1905, inspired by that of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris. The beginning of the 20th century marked the last major transformation, with the replacement of the pillars of the transept cross by granite columns, consolidating the structure.

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