Mans,

Mans, LE, a picturesque city of France, the capital formerly of the province of Maine, and now of the department of Sarthe, on the left bank of the river Sarthe, 132 miles SW. of Paris by rail. The cathedral, 390 feet long, has a Romanesque nave of the 11th and 12th centuries, and a matchless Pointed-Gothic choir of the 13th century, 104 feet high, with splendid stained glass. In the right transept is the monument of Berengaria, Cœur-de-Lion's queen. There are two other interesting churches, and both préfecture and seminary occupy old conventual buildings, the former comprising also a museum and a library of 55,000 volumes. Le Mans does a large trade in poultry and clover seed, and manufactures candles, woollens, lace, soap, &c. Pop. (1872) 42,654; (1891) 53,282. The Cenomanum of the Romans, and the birthplace of Henry II. of England, Le Mans witnessed in 1793 the dispersion and massacre of more than 10,000 Vendéans; and in January 1871 the defeat, after a stubborn resistance, of 100,000 Frenchmen under Chanzy by Prince Frederick-Charles. A statue of Chanzy was erected in 1885, and one of Belon (q.v.) in 1887. See Hublin, Le Mans Pittoresque (1885).