Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Aurillac

AURILLAC, the capital of the department of Cantal, France, situated on the right bank of the Jourdanne, which is here crossed by a handsome bridge. It contains tribunals of primary instance and commerce, a communal college, societies of agriculture, arts, and commerce, a public library, and a museum. Most of the town is of comparatively modern construction, its more ancient build ings having suffered severely in the religious wars of the 16th century. Of highest claims to antiquity are portions of the castle of St Etienne, the church of St, Geraud, and a Benedictine abbey, which is regarded by many as the original nucleus round which Aurillac gathered. There is a statue of Sylvester II., who was a native of the town, and was educated in the abbey, which soon afterwards became one of the most famous schools of France. The manufactures consist of tapestry, lace, cutlery, paper, leather, &c., and a considerable number of horses are bred. Population in 1872, 11,098.