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west of the department, was formerly marshy and unhealthy, but draining and afforestation have brought about considerable improvement. The department is divided into the arrondissements of See also:

Chateauroux, Le See also:

Blanc, La Chatre and See also:

ISSOUDUN

Issoudun, with 23 cantons and 245 communes. At Neuvy-St-See also:

Sepulchre there is a circular See also:

church of the 11th See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century, to which a See also:

NAVE

nave was addedin the 12th century, and at See also:

MEZIERES, PHILIPPE DE (c. 1327—1405)

Mezieres-en-Brenne there is an interesting church of the 14th century. At Levroux there is a See also:

FINE

fine church of the 13th century and the remains of a feudal fortress, and there is a magnificent See also:

CHATEAU (from Lat. castellum, fortress, through O. Fr. chastel, chasteau)

chateau in the See also:

RENAISSANCE, THE

Renaissance See also:

style at Valencay.

INDRE-ET-LOIRE, a department of central France, consisting of nearly the whole of the old See also:

province of Touraine and of small portions of Orleanais, See also:

ANJOU

Anjou and See also:

POITOU

Poitou. Pop. (1906) 337,916. Area 2377 sq. m. It is bounded N. by the departments of See also:

SARTHE

Sarthe and Loir-et-Cher, E. by Loir-et-Cher and Indre, S. and S.W. by Vienne and W. by See also:

Maine-et-Loire. It takes its name from the Loire and its tributary the Indre, which enter it on its eastern border and unite not far from its western border. The other See also:

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief affluents of the Loire in the department are the Cher, which joins it below See also:

TOURS

Tours, and the Vienne, which See also:

WATERS, TERRITORIAL

waters the department's See also:

SOUTHERN

southern region. Indre-et-Loire is generally level and comprises the following districts: the Gatine, a pebbly and sterile region to the north of the Loire, largely consisting of forests and heaths with numerous small lakes; the fertile Varenne or valley of the Loire; the Champeigne, a See also:

CHAIN (through the O. Fr. citable, chcene, &c., from Lat. catena)

chain of See also:

VINE

vine-clad slopes, separating the valleys of the Cher and Indre; the See also:

Veron, a region of vines and orchards, in the See also:

ANGLE (from the Lat. angulus, a corner, a diminutive, of which the primitive form, angus, does not occur in Latin; cognate are the Lat. angere, to compress into a bend or to strangle, and the Gr. ayKOS, a bend; both connected with the Aryan root ank-, to

angle formed by the Loire and Vienne; the plateau of Sainte-Maure, a hilly and unproductive district in the centre of which are found extensive deposits of See also:

shell-See also:

MARL (from O. Fr. marle, Late Lat. margila, dim. of marga; cf. Du. and Ger. Mergel)

marl; and in the south the Brenne, traversed by the Claise and the Creuse and forming See also:

PART

part of the marshy territory which extends under the same name into Indre. Indre-et-Loire is divided into the arrondissements of Tours, I.oches and See also:

CHINON

Chinon; with 24 cantons and 282 communes. The chief See also:

TOWN

town is Tours, which is the seat of an archbishopric; and Chinon, See also:

LOCHES

Loches, See also:

Amboise, See also:

CHENONCEAUX

Chenonceaux, See also:

LANGEAIS

Langeais and Azayle-Rideau are also important places with chateaus. The Renaissance chateau of Usse, and those of See also:

LUYNES

Luynes (15th and 16th centuries) and Pressigny-le-See also:

GRAND

Grand (17th century) are also of See also:

note. Montbazon possesses the imposing ruins of a square See also:

DONJON (from a Late Lat. accusative form domnionem, connected with domnus or dominus, a lord)

donjon of the 11th and See also:

LATH (0. Eng. laett, Mid. Eng. lappe, a form possibly due to the Welsh llath; the word appears in many Teutonic languages, cf. Dutch lat, Ger. Latte, and has passed into Romanic, cf. Ital. latta, Fr. latte)

lath centuries.

Preuilly has the most beautiful Romanesque church in Touraine. The Sainte Chapelle (16th century) at Champigny is a survival of a chateau of the See also:

dukes of See also:

Bourbon-See also:

Montpensier. The church of See also:

MONTRESOR, CLAUDE DE BOURDEILLE, COMTE DE (c. 16o6-1663)

Montresor (1532) with its See also:

MAUSOLEUM

mausoleum of the See also:

FAMILY

family of Montresor; that of St See also:

Denis-Hors (12th and 16th century) See also:

close to Amboise, with the curious mausoleum of Philibert Babou, See also:

MINISTER (Lat. minister, servant)

minister of See also:

FINANCE

finance under See also:

Francis I. and See also:

Henry II.; and that of Ste See also:

Catherine de Fierbois, of the 15th century, are of architectural See also:

INTEREST

interest. The town of See also:

Richelieu, founded in 1631 by the famous minister of See also:

Louis XIIL,preserves the See also:

ENCEINTE (Lat. in, within, cinctus, girdled; to be distinguished from the word meaning " pregnant," from in, not, and cinctus, i.e. with girdle loosened)

enceinte and many of the buildings of the 17th century. Megalithic monuments are numerous in the department.

End of Article: INDRE

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