LIMOGES, Winezhe The capital of the De partment of Haute-Vieime, France, and the ancient capital of Limousin (q.v.), situated on the right bank of the Vienne, 215 miles south southwest of Paris (Nap: France, H 6). It is a very old town, with narrow, crooked streets in the older quarters, and many buildings and monu ments attesting its antiquity. The newer por tions of the town. built up after the demolition of the old fortifications, arc modern in appear ance. The most notable building is the Cathedral of Saint Etienne, begun in 1273 on the site of an older church and completed only in the second half of the nineteenth century. The interior is decorated in Renaissance style and contains a delicately ornamented rood-loft of the sixteenth century. The town hall is a modern Renaissance building (1878-81) and has a collection of paintings and sculptures. Limoges has some Roman remains and a number of private houses dating from the ?liddle Ages. The educational institiltions of the town consist of a lyeee, a theological seminary, preparatory schools of medicine and pharmacy, a national school of decorative arts, a library of about 30.000 vol umes, a museum of ceramics, and a meteorologi cal observatory. Limoges has since ancient times been known for its artistic industries. In the Middle Ages it was celebrated for its mint and gold ware and later for its enamels. In MG the porcelain industry was introduced, and, favored by the discovery of tine clays in the Yieinity, it developed very rapidly. It is now
one of the chief centres of the porcelain industry in Europe. About 6000 men are employed in the porcelain factories of the town, and considerable quantities of kaolin are exported to other Euro pean countries and even America. A printing establishment was founded at Limoges as early as 1496 and the printing of books is among the chief industries of the town. Other prominent industries of Limoges are distilling, brewing, tanning. and the manufacturing of nails. knives, hats, gloves, paper, etc. The textile industry, once extensive, is now in a state of decline. Limoges is advantageously situated for com mercial purposes, and carries on a considerable trade between Paris and the south of France. Population, in 1391, 72,697; in 1901, 84.121. At the Roman conquest Limoges was the capital of the (laThe tribe Lemovi•es, and a place of consid erable strength and importance. It.sufTered great ly from the Vandals, and during the Hundred Years' War, as well as from frequent. conflagra tions. Christianity was introduced in the third century by Saint Martial, the first Bishop of Limoges. In 1030-31 the town was ravaged by a terrible pestilence, in which over 20.000 people perished.