lle des Etats, which, together with the donjon in the west corner,
survives from the 13th century. Of the churches of Blois, the cathedral
of St Louis, a building of the end of the 17th century, but in Gothic
style, is surpassed in interest by St Nicolas, once the church of the
abbey of St Laumer, and dating from the 12th and 13th centuries. The
picturesqueness of the town is enhanced by many old mansions, the chief
of which is the Renaissance Hotel d'Alluye, and by numerous fountains,
among which that named after Louis XII. is of very graceful design. The
prefecture, the law court, the corn-market and the fine stud-buildings
are among the chief modern buildings.

Blois is the seat of a bishop, a prefect, and a court of assizes. It
has a tribunal of first instance, a tribunal of commerce, a board of
trade arbitration, a branch of the Bank of France, a communal college
and training-colleges. The town is a market for the agricultural and
pastoral regions of Beauce and Sologne, and has a considerable trade in
grain, the wines of the Loire valley, and in horses and other
live-stock. It manufactures boots and shoes, biscuits, chocolate,
upholstering materials, furniture, machinery and earthenware, and has
vinegar-works, breweries, leather-works and foundries.

Though of ancient origin, Blois is first distinctly mentioned by Gregory
of Tours in the 6th century, and was not of any importance till the 9th
century, when it became the seat of a powerful countship (see below). In
1196 Count Louis granted privileges to the townsmen; the commune, which
survived throughout the middle ages, probably dated from this time. The
counts of the Chatillon line resided at Blois more often than their
predecessors, and the oldest parts of the chateau (13th century) were
built by them. In 1429 Joan of Arc made Blois her base of operations for
the relief of Orleans. After his captivity in England, Charles of
Orleans in 1440 took up his residence in the chateau, where in 1462 his
son, afterwards Louis XII., was born. In the 16th century Blois was
often the resort of the French court. Its inhabitants included many
Calvinists, and it was in 1562 and 1567 the scene of struggles between
them and the supporters of the Roman church. In 1576 and 1588 Henry
III., king of France, chose Blois as the meeting-place of the
states-general, and in the latter year he brought about the murders of
Henry, duke of Guise, and his brother, Louis, archbishop of Reims an