ide level plain principally on the right bank of the
Marne, its suburb of Marne, which contains the railwaystations of the
Eastern and Est-Etat railways, lying on the left bank. The town proper
is bordered on the west by the lateral canal of the Marne, across which
lies a strip of ground separating it from the river itself. Chalons is
traversed by branches of the canal and by small streams, and its streets
are for the most part narrow and irregular, but it is surrounded by
ample avenues and promenades, the park known as the Jard, in the
south-western quarter, being especially attractive. Huge barracks lie to
the north and east. There are several interesting churches in the town.
The cathedral of St Etienne dates chiefly from the 13th century, but its
west facade is in the classical style and belongs to the 17th century.
There are stained-glass windows of the 13th century in the north
transept. Notre-Dame, of the 12th and 13th centuries, is conspicuous for
its four Romanesque towers, two flanking the apse; the other two,
surmounted by tall lead spires, flanking the principal facade. The
churches of St. Alpin, St Jean and St Loup date from various periods
between the 11th and the 17th centuries. The hotel-de-ville (1771),
facing which stands a monument to President Carnot; the prefecture
(1750-1764), once the residence of the intendants of Champagne; the
college, once a Jesuit establishment; and a training college which
occupies the Augustinian abbey of Toussaints (16th and 17th centuries),
are noteworthy civil buildings. The houses of Chalons are generally
ill-built of timber and plaster, or rough-cast, but some old mansions,
dating from the 15th to the 16th centuries, remain. The church of Ste
Pudentienne, on the left bank of the river, is a well-known place of
pilgrimage. The town is the seat of a bishop and a prefect, and
headquarters of the VI. army corps; it has tribunals of first instance
and of commerce, a chamber of commerce, a board of trade-arbitrators, a
museum, a library, training colleges, a higher ecclesiastical seminary,
a communal college and an important technical school. The principal
industry is brewing, which is carried on in the suburb of Marne.
Galleries of immense length, hewn in a limestone hill and served by
lines of railway, are used as store-houses for beer. The preparation of
champagne, the manufacture of boots and shoes, brushes, wire-goods and
wall-paper also occupy many hands. There is trade