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ORLEANS

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Originally appearing in Volume V20, Page 287 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ORLEANS , a See also:

city of See also:north central See also:France, See also:chief See also:town of the See also:department of Loiret, on the right See also:bank of the See also:Loire, 77 M. S.S.W. of See also:Paris by See also:rail. Pop. (1906), town, 57,544; See also:commune, 68,614. At See also:Les Aubrais, a mile to the north, is one of the chief railway junctions in the See also:country. Besides the Paris and Orleans railway, which there divides into two See also:main lines—a western to See also:Nantes and See also:Bordeaux via See also:Tours, and a See also:southern to See also:Bourges and See also:Toulouse via See also:Vierzon—branches leave Les Aubrais eastwards for See also:Pithiviers, Chalons-sur-See also:Marne and See also:Gien, north-See also:west for Cha.teaudun and See also:Rouen. The whole town of Orleans is clustered together on the right bank of the See also:river and .surrounded by See also:fine boulevards, beyond which it sends out suburbs along the various roads. It is connected with the suburb of St Marceau on the See also:left bank by a handsome See also:stone See also:bridge of nine See also:arches, erected in the 18th See also:century. Farther up is the railway bridge. The river is canalized on the right, and serves as a continuation of the Orleans See also:Canal, which unites the Loire with the See also:Seine by the canal of the Loing. Owing to its position on the northernmost point of the Loire Orleans has See also:long been the centre of communication between the Loire See also:basin and Paris. The chief See also:interest of the See also:place lies in its public buildings and the See also:historical events of which it has been the See also:scene.

Proceeding from the railway station to the bridge over the Loire, the visitor crosses Orleans from north to See also:

south and passes through the Place du Martroi, the See also:heart of the city. In the See also:middle of the square stands an equestrian statue of See also:Joan of Arc, in See also:bronze, resting on a See also:granite See also:pedestal surrounded by bas-reliefs representing the leading episodes in her See also:life. In 1855 it took the place of an older statue executed in the beginning of the century, which was then transferred to the left bank of the Loire at the end of the bridge, a few paces from' the spot where a See also:simple See also:cross marks the site of the Fort See also:des Tourelles captured by Joan of Arc in 1429. From the Place du Martroi, the See also:Rue Jeanne d'Arc leads to the See also:cathedral of Ste Croix. This See also:church, begun in 1287, was burned by the See also:Huguenots in 1567 before its completion. See also:Henry IV., in 16o1, laid the first stone of the new structure, the See also:building of which continued until 1829. It consists of a See also:vestibule, a See also:nave with See also:double aisles, a corresponding See also:choir, a See also:transept and an See also:apse. Its length is 472 ft., its width at the transept 220 ft. and the height of the central vaults 112 ft. The west front has two See also:flat-topped towers, each of three storeys, of which the first is square, the second octagonal and the third cylindrical. The whole front is See also:Gothic, but was designed and constructed in the 18th century and exhibits all the defects of the See also:period, though its proportions are impressive. A central See also:spire (19th century) 328 ft. high, on the other See also:hand, recalls the pure Gothic See also:style of the 13th century. In the interior the choir chapels and the apse, dating from the See also:original erection of the building, and the fine See also:modern See also:tomb of Mgr.

F. A. P. See also:

Dupanloup, See also:bishop from 1849 to 1878, are worthy of See also:note. In the episcopal See also:palace and the higher See also:seminary are several remarkable pictures and pieces of See also:wood-See also:carving; and the latter building has a See also:crypt of the 9th century, belonging to the church of St Avit demolished in 1428. The church of St Aignan consists of a transept and choir of the second See also:half of the 15th century; it contains in a gilded and carved wooden See also:shrine the remains of its See also:patron See also:saint, who occupied the see of Orleans at the See also:time of See also:Attila's invasion. The crypt See also:dates from the 9th to the beginning of the I.Ith century. The once beautiful See also:sculpture of the exterior has been altogether ruined; the interior has been restored, but not in keeping with the original style. A third church, St Euverte, dedicated to one of the See also:oldest bishops of Orleans (d. 391), is an See also:early Gothic building dating from the 13th, completely restored in the 15th century. St See also:Pierre-le-Puellier dates in its oldest portions from the loth or even the 9th century. To the west of the Rue Royale stand the church of St See also:Paul, whose See also:facade and isolated See also:tower both See also:bear fine features of See also:Renaissance See also:work, and Notre-See also:Dame de Recouvrance, rebuilt between 1517 and 1519 in the Renaissance style and dedicated to the memory of the deliverance of the city.

The hotel de ville, built under See also:

Francis I. and Henry II. and restored in the 19th century, was formerly the See also:residence of the See also:governors of Orleans, and was occupied by the See also:kings and queens of France from Francis II. to Henry IV. The front of the building, with its different coloured bricks, its balconies sup-ported by See also:caryatides attributed to See also:jean See also:Goujon, its gable-ends and its windows, recalls the Flemish style. There are several niches with statues. Beneath, between the double See also:flight of steps leading up to the entrance, stands a bronze See also:reproduction of the statue of Joan of Arc, a masterpiece of the princess See also:Mary of Orleans, preserved in the See also:Versailles museum. The richly-decorated apartments of the first See also:storey contain paintings, interesting chimneys, and a bronze statuette (also by the princess Mary) representing Joan of Arc mounted on a caparisoned See also:horse and clothed in the garb of the knights of the 15th century. The See also:great See also:hall in which it is placed also possesses a See also:chimney decorated with three bas-reliefs of Domremy, Orleans and See also:Reims, all associated with her life. The historical museum at Orleans is one of the most interesting of provincial collections, the numismatic, See also:medieval and Renaissance departments, and the collection of See also:ancient vases being of great value. The city also possesses a See also:separate picture See also:gallery, a sculpture gallery and a natural See also:history museum, which are established in the former had de ville, a Renaissance building of the latter half of the 15th century. The public library comprises among its See also:manuscripts a number dating from the 7th century, and obtained in most cases from St See also:Benoit on the Loire. The See also:general See also:hospital is incorporated with the HOtel Dieu, and forms one of the finest institutions of the See also:kind in France. The salle des fetes, formerly the See also:corn-See also:market, stands within a vast See also:cloister formed by 15th-century arcades, once belonging to the old See also:cemetery. The salle des Theses (1411) of the university is the See also:meeting-place of the Archaeological Society of the city.

Among the old private houses numerous at Orleans, that of See also:

Agnes See also:Sorel (15th and 16th century), which contains a large collection of See also:objects and See also:works of See also:art See also:relating to Joan of Arc, that of Francis I., of the first half of the 16th century, that occupied by Joan of Arc during the See also:siege of 1429, and that known as the See also:house of Diane de See also:Poitiers (16th century), which contains the historical museum, are of See also:special interest. The hotel de la Vieille-Intendance, built in the 15th and 16th centuries, served as residence of the intendants of Orleans in later times. The " See also:White Tower " is the last representative of the towers rendered famous by the siege. A statue to the jurisconsult, R. J. See also:Pothier (1699-1772), one of the most illustrious of the natives of Orleans, stands in front of the hotel de ville. The anniversary of the raising of the siege in 2429 by Joan of Arc is celebrated every See also:year with great pomp. After the See also:English hadretired, the popular See also:enthusiasm improvised a procession, which marched with singing of See also:hymns from the cathedral to St Paul, and the ceremony is still repeated on the 8th of May by the See also:clergy and the See also:civil and military functionaries. Orleans is the seat of a bishopric, a See also:prefect, a See also:court of See also:appeal, and a court of assizes and headquarters of the V. See also:army See also:corps. There are tribunals of first instance and of See also:commerce, a See also:board of See also:trade-See also:arbitration, a chamber of commerce and a See also:branch of the Bank of France; and training colleges for both sexes, a lycee for boys, a technical school and an ecclesiastical seminary. The more important See also:industries of the town are the manufacture of See also:tobacco (by the See also:state), blankets, hairpins, See also:vinegar, machinery, agricultural implements, See also:hosiery, tools and ironware, and the preparation of preserved vegetables. See also:Wine, See also:wool, See also:grain and live stock are the commercial staples of the city, See also:round which there are important nurseries.

The site of Orleans must have been occupied very early in history by a trading See also:

post for commerce between See also:northern and central and southern See also:Gaul. At the time of the See also:Roman See also:conquest the town was known as Genabum, and was the starting-point of the great revolt against See also:Julius See also:Caesar in 52 B.C. In the 5th century it had taken the name Aurelianum from either See also:Marcus Aurelius or See also:Aurelian. It was vainly besieged in 451 by Attila, who was awed by the intercession of its bishop, St Aignan, and finally driven off by the patrician See also:Aetius. See also:Odoacer and his See also:Saxons also failed to take it in 471, but in 498 it See also:fell into the hands of See also:Clovis, who in 511 held here the first ecclesiastical See also:council assembled in France. The dignity which it then obtained, of being the See also:capital of a separate See also:kingdom, was lost by its See also:union with that of Paris in 613. In the loth century the town was given in See also:fief to the See also:counts of Paris, who in 987 ousted the Carolingian See also:line from the See also:throne of France. In 999 a great See also:fire devastated the town. Orleans remained during all the medieval period one of the first cities of the See also:French See also:monarchy; several of the kings dwelt within its walls, or were consecrated in its cathedral; it had a royal See also:mint, was the seat of See also:councils, and obtained for its See also:schools the name of university (23o9), and for its soldiery an equal See also:standing with those of Paris. See also:Philip, fifth son of Philip VI., was the first of the See also:dukes of Orleans. After the assassination of his successor See also:Louis by Jean Sans-Peur, See also:duke of See also:Burgundy (1407), the See also:people of Orleans sided resolutely with the Armagnacs, and in this way brought upon themselves the attacks of the Burgundians and the English. Joan of Arc, having entered the beleaguered city on the 29th of See also:April 1429, effected the raising of the siege by means of an attack on the 7th of May on the Fort des Tourelles, in the course of which she was wounded.

Early in the 16th century the town became a centre of Protestantism. After the See also:

Amboise See also:conspiracy (156o) the states-general were convoked at Orleans, where Francis II. died. In 1562 it became the headquarters of Louis I. of See also:Bourbon, See also:prince of See also:Conde, the See also:Protestant See also:commander-in-chief. In 1563 Francis, duke of See also:Guise, laid siege to it, and had captured the te"te-du-See also:pont on the left bank of the Loire when he was assassinated. Orleans was surrendered to the See also:king, who had its fortifications razed. It was held by the Huguenots from 1567 to 1568. The St See also:Bartholomew See also:massacre there in 1572 lasted a whole See also:week. It was given as a lieu de sfiret to the See also:League under Henry III., but surrendered to Henry IV. in See also:person in 1594. During the Revolution the city suffered from the sanguinary excesses of See also:Bertrand Barere and See also:Collot d'Herbois. It was occupied by the Prussians in 1815 and in 187o, the latter See also:campaign being discussed below. See E. Bimbenet, Histoire de la ville d'Orleans (Orleans, 1884-1888).

End of Article: ORLEANS

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