Fontenay-le-Comte, or FONTENAY-VENDÉE

Fontenay-le-Comte, or FONTENAY-VENDÉE, a town of France, in the department of Vendée, is situated at the head of navigation on the river Vendée, 27 miles NE. of La Rochelle. Its most remarkable buildings are the beautiful Romanesque church of Notre Dame, with a Gothic spire 311 feet high, and the fountain from which the town is said to have derived its name. The town has manufactures of hats, woollens and linen, tanneries, and a trade in grain, &c. Pop. (1886) 9282; (1891) 8969.