Orleans

a city of France. It is situated on the bank of the Loire River. The name is derived from that of Aurelian. The town was known during the period of Roman occupancy as Aurelian's City. It is noted for manufactures of blankets, hosiery, woolen goods, and vinegar. There are exports of wine, grain, and timber. The city was a center of the Huguenots. A magnificent Gothic cathedral destroyed by them was afterward rebuilt by Henry IV. The interior is 485 feet long. The nave is 100 feet high. Orleans is a city of historical importance. It withstood a siege by Attila. The French under Joan of Arc relieved it from a besieging force of the English in 1429, gaining for her the name of the "Maid of Orleans." In 1870 Orleans was taken by the Germans after severe fighting. The present population is about 67,000. A younger branch of the Bourbon family was known as the House of Orleans. The city has given its name to the Isle of Orleans in the St. Lawrence River, and to the American city of New Orleans at the mouth of the Mississippi.