Aurillac

▪ France

      town, capital of Cantal département, Auvergne région, south-central France. It lies along the Jourdanne River at an elevation of 2,040 feet (622 metres) above sea level, southwest of Clermont-Ferrand. Gerbert, the first French pope (known as Sylvester II), was born in the town and was educated at the nearby Saint-Géraud abbey (founded 894). In the Religious Wars of the 16th century, a general massacre of Huguenots (Protestants) was answered by a Huguenot sack and burning of Aurillac and the slaughter of Roman Catholics. Modern road extensions encircle the old town of narrow, twisting streets. The Gothic church of Notre-Dame-aux-Neiges (1339) stands in the main square. The castle, now used as a school, has an 11th-century dungeon.

      Aurillac is the administrative, tourist, and service centre (with a satellite university) for the rural area of Cantal. It is also a market hub for cattle and dairy production and specializes in two cheeses, Fourme and Bleu d'Auvergne. Light industry, especially food processing and the manufacture of furniture, umbrellas, and pharmaceuticals, has fostered the recent growth of the town. Pop. (1999) 30,551; (2005 est.) 29,700.

* * *