AUXERRE  , a

town of central France, capital of the department of Yonne, 38 m . S.S.E. of Sens on the Paris-Lyon railway, between Laroche and Nevers . Pop . (1906) 16,971 . It is situated on the slopes and the summit of an eminence on the left bank of the Yonne, which is crossed by two bridges leading to suburbs on the right bank . The town is irregularly built and its streets are steep and narrow, but it is surrounded by wide tree-lined boulevards, which have replaced the ancient fortifications, and has some fine churches . That of St Etienne, formerly the cathedral, is a majestic Gothic building of the 13th to the 16th centuries . It is entered by three richly sculptured portals, over the middle and largest of which is a rose window; over the north portal rises a massive tower, but that which should surmount the south portal is unfinished . The lateral entrances are sheltered by tympana and arches profusely decorated with statuettes . The plan consists of a nave, with aisles and lateral chapels, transept and choir, with a deambulatory at a slightly lower level . Beneath the choir, which is a fine example of early Gothic architecture, extends a crypt of the 11th century with mural paintings of the 12th century . The church has some fine stained glass and many pictures and other works of art .

The ancient episcopal

palace, now used as prefecture, stands behind the cathedral; it preserves a Romanesque gallery of the 12th cen it;': The church of St Eusebe belongs to the 12th, 13th and 16th centuries• Of the abbey church of St Germain, built in the 13th and 141_11 centuries, most of the nave has disappeared, so that its imposii?g Romanesque tower stands apart from it; crypts of the 9th centuq contain the tombs of bishops of Auxerre . The abbey was once fo?- rtified and a high wall and cylindrical tower remain . The builtdings (18th century) are partly occupied by a hospital and a trae,ining-college . The church of St Pierre, in the Renaissance style of the 16th and 17th centuries, is conspicuous for the elaborate ornamentation of its west facade . The old law-court contains the museum, with a collection of antiquities and paintings, a•nd a library . In the middle of the town is a gateway surmountred by a belfry, dating from the 15th century . Auxerre has statue0 of Marshal Davout, J . B . J . Fourier and Paul Bert, the two lattcer natives of the town . The town is the seat of a court of assizles, and has tribunals of first instance and of commerce, and a braTnch of the Bank of France . A lycee for girls, a communal collet,.e and training colleges are among its educational establishment, Manufactures of ochre, of which there are quarries in the vicinity -Y, and of iron goods are carried on .

Thecanal of

Nivernais reaches as far as Auxerre, which has a busy port and carries on boat-building . Trade is principally in the choice wine of the surrounding vineyards, and in timber and coal . Auxerre (Autessiodurum) became the seat of a bishop and a civitas in the 3rd century . Under the Merovingian kings the abbey of St Germain, named after the 6th bishop, was founded, and in the 9th century its schools had made the town a seat of learning . The bishopric was suppressed in 1790 . The countship of Auxerre was granted by King Robert I. to his son-in-law Renaud, count of Nevers . It remained in the house of Nevers until 1184, when it passed by marriage to that of Courtenay . Other alliances transferred it successively to the families of Donzy, Chatillon, Bourbon and Burgundy . Alice of Burgundy, countess of Auxerre, married John of Chalons (d . 1309), and several counts of Auxerre belonging to the house of Chalons distinguished themselves in the wars against the English during the 14th century . John II., count of Auxerre, was killed at the battle of Crecy (1346), and his grandson, John IV., sold his countship to King Charles V. in 1370 .