TRENT (Ital. Trento, Ger. Trient, Lat. Tridentum), a walled t. of Austria, in the southern part 'of the Tyrol, capital of the circle of the same name, is situated on the left bank of the Adige (here spanned by a wooden bridge 146 ft. in a beautiful and fertile valley, surrounded by high limestone hills, 46 in. n. of Verona. In its general aspect, as well as its architecture. Trent is quite an Italian town; and with its spires and towers, ruined castles and ancient embattled walls, it presents an imposing appearance from a distance. The piazza grande, near the cathedral is adorned with a splendid foun tain of rod marble, surmounted by a colossal statue of Neptune with his trident. The citilledral, begun in 1212, is a beautiful specimen of the Rominesque style of Lombardy, with a few features suggestive of the contemporary German style; united to it is a frag ment of the episcopal palace of the 12th century. The church of Santa Maria Mag giore is built on the site of the council-chamber in which the famous "council of Trent" held its sittings. Among other public buildings are the church of the Jesuits,
ornamented with the richest foreign marble; the new theater (holding 1400 people); the town-hall; and the Palazzo Buonconsiglio adjoining the town, a noble specimen of the feudal architecture of north Italy, now occupied as a barrack. Its benevolent and edu cational establishments are unmerous. Trent carries en considerable manufactures of silks. wine, tobacco, and sugar, and lies a large transit trade. Pop. '69. 17,073.
The ancient Tridentum, or Tridente, derived its name from the Tridentini, an Alpine 'tribe. whose capital it was, and has, in all probability, no connection whatever with the trident of Neptune (as is commonly supposed). Conrad the Salic bestowed on the prince-bishops of Trent the temporal rule of the valley of the Adige, and under them Trent rose to great prosperity and importance. It is still the see of a prince-bishop.