BOURG or BOURG-EN—BRESSE, a town in the east of France, capital of department of Ain, formerly capital of the prov ince of Bresse, 36m. N.N.E. of Lyons by the P.L.M. railway. Pop. (1931) 16,840. Bourg is at the south-western end of the Jura, on the left bank of the Reyssouze, a tributary of the Saone. It is an important railway junction. Roman remains have been discovered, but little is known of its early history. Raised to the rank of a free town in 125o, it was in the 15th century chosen by the dukes of Savoy as the chief city of Bresse. The town was finally ceded to France in 16o1. In 1814 the town, in spite of its defenceless condition, resisted the Austrians, who pillaged it.
The church of Notre Dame is a 16th century transitional struc ture, with the Renaissance style prevailing. In the interior there are stalls and stained glass of the 16th century. The chief attrac tion for tourists, however, is the church of Brou, a suburb of Bourg, a remarkable monument of late Gothic (1506-32), unique in its uniformity of style. Marguerite of Bourbon, wife of Phili bert II. of Savoy, had intended to found a monastery on the spot, but died too soon, and the church was built by her daughter in-law Marguerite of Austria, in memory of her husband, Phili bert le Beau of Savoy. The exterior, especially the façade, is richly ornamented, but the chief interest lies in the three mausolea with the marble effigies of Marguerite of Bourbon, Philibert le Beau and Marguerite of Austria. The rood loft, oak stalls and reredos in the Lady chapel are masterpieces in a similar style. In the former priory building the museums of Bourg are in stalled, including the Musee Lorin and the Musee Guillon. The church is now state property. Bourg is the seat of a prefect and a court of assizes, and has a tribunal of first instance, a tribunal and a chamber of commerce. Iron goods, mineral waters, tallow, soap, earthenware and flour are made. Trade is in grain, cattle and in the renowned poultry of Bresse (q.v.).