Niort
the capital of the French department of Deux-Sèvres; on the Sèvre- Niortaise river; 43 miles N. E. of La NIPIGON Rochelle and 109 S. W. of Tours. An important railway junction, it has an old castle, a city hall (1530), a fine public garden, and the 16th-century church of Notre Dame, with a spire 246 feet high.
The dressing of leather and the manufacture of gloves are the leading industries. Niort in the 14th century was held for 18 years by the English. It was the birthplace of Madame de Maintenon.
Pop. about 23,000.