Tours

Tours, a French town, formerly capital of the province of Touraine, and now of the department of Indre-et-Loire, situated on the left bank of the Loire, 147 miles S.W. of Paris by railway. It is a singularly handsome town, and stands in the midst of a fertile and beautiful district. The fine cathedral ranges in date from the 12th to the 15th century, with two towers over 200 feet in height, added during the Renaissance period; it contains some magnificent old painted glass. The church of St. Julien and the Archbishop's palace remain, but the greater part of the abbey-church of St. Martin was destroyed during the Revolution. There is a library, with 5O,OOO volumes and 1,200 MSS. The trade is considerable, and there are silk-mills and printing works. The town is also noted for its confectionery. It takes its name from the Turones, of whose country it was the capital.