Avila,

Avila, a town of Spain, capital of the province of Avila, in Old Castile, situated at a height of 3000 feet above the sea, at the base of the Sierra de Guadarrama, 71 miles NW. of Madrid by rail. Avila has a fine Gothic cathedral, and a Moorish castle, and its massive granite walls still stand, 42 feet high and 14 broad, with 86 towers and 10 gateways. Its university, founded in 1482, was reduced to a college in 1807. Pop. now only 10,809, engaged in manufacturing cloth. Here St Teresa was born. The province is mountainous, but has fertile valleys. Its mineral wealth is still undeveloped; the chief produce is merino wool. Area, 2981 sq. m.; pop. (1887) 193,093.