Tours, capital of the department of Indre-et-Loire, as it formerly was of the province of Touraine, stands in the fertile valley of the Loire just above the influx of the Cher, and is 147 miles SW. of Paris by rail. It is a regularly built and handsome town, nearly divided in half by the Rue Nationale. Conspicuous amongst its buildings is the noble cathedral, in various styles of Gothic from the 13th to the 15th century, the two towers (partly modified Renaissance) being 205 feet high. The glass is very fine. Other buildings are the church of St Julien, the towers and other remains of the famous abbey church of St Martin (long a place of pilgrimage, but destroyed at the Revolution), the archbishop's palace, palais de justice, museum, public library, &c. Near the town are the remains of the monastery of Marmoutier, and of the castle of Plessis les Tours, the favourite residence of Louis XI. (see Quentin Durward). There are some well-preserved ancient houses, including that of the executioner Tristan l'Hermite. Near Tours are many of the fine old châteaux for which Touraine is famous. There are fine statues of Descartes and Rabclais. Tours has a brisk trade, manufactures woollens and silk, does much printing, &c., and is famous for its plums and similar confections. Pop. (1872) 43,368; (1891) 60,335. The Roman Cesaredunum, Tours was both earlier and later capital of the Turones (whence the modern name). Near it Charles Martel (q.v., Vol. III. p. 115) won the great victory that saved northern Europe from the Saracens. Meetings of the States-general and councils repeatedly took place here. The great silk manufactures of Tours, established in the 15th century, were destroyed by the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685), which drove into exile nearly half of the most industrious inhabitants of the place. During the Franco-German war Tours was the seat of government from the time the Germans closed round Paris till (21st September) they in like manner closed round and then occupied Tours. St Martin and Gregory of Tours have separate articles. There are works on the city by Giraudet (1874) and Grandmaison (1879).