Nevers

Nevers, the capital now of the French department of Nièvre, and formerly of the province of Nivernais, is picturesquely seated on a hillside, 600 feet above sea-level, at the influx of the Nièvre to the Loire, 159 miles by rail SSE. of Paris. The Noviodunum of Cæsar, it has been the seat of a bishop since 506; its beautiful cathedral, restored in 1879, belongs mainly to the 13th century. The stately palais-de-justice, dating from 1475, was formerly the castle of the Dukes of Nevers; and there are also a fine public garden, a bridge of fourteen arches over the Loire, a mediceval gateway, and a triumphal arch (1746) commemorating Fontenoy. The industries comprise the manufacture of cannon, iron cables and chains, porcelain (introduced by Italians about 1565), &c. Pop. (1872) 22,276; (1896) 24,750.