Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Tournai

TOURNAI (Flem. Doornik), a town of Belgium, capital of an arrondissement in the province of Hainault, 53 miles by rail west-south-west from Brussels, is divided into two parts by the Scheldt, which is here spanned by seven bridges and lined with spacious tree-shaded quays. The older, which is also the busier and more important portion of the town, stands on the left bank; the new town is distinguished by its neat regular streets and modern architecture. The cathedral, which is a fine example of the Romanesque style, is a cruciform basilica, with a series of chapels and five towers. The nave was probably consecrated in 1171; the transepts date from the 13th century; and the (Gothic) choir was completed in 1338, at which time also the Romanesque façade was altered, and a porch in the Pointed style added. The sculptures in the porch range in date from the 13th to the 17th century, and deserve special notice, particularly those of later date by native artists. The general effect of the interior is harmonious and impressive. The capitals of the pillars are rich and varied; the passage round the choir contains several pictures of the Flemish school; the richly sculptured Renaissance roodloft dates from 1566; and most of the stained glass in the transept dates from about 1456. The adjacent belfry, dating originally from 1187, and partly rebuilt in 1391, was restored in 1852. In the Grande Place, not far from the cathedral, is the church of St Quentin, sometimes spoken of as "la petite cathedrale," in the Transition style, and nearly of the same date as the cathedral. The church of St Jacques dates from the 13th and 14th centuries, and that of St Brice from the 12th. The buildings of the old monastery of St Martin, on the south-west side of the town, are now used as an hotel de ville, in connexion with which there is a small picture gallery containing some examples of Rembrandt, Rubens, and Van Dyck. The town contains courts of law, an athenaeum, a theatre, a school of arts and manufactures, an episcopal palace and seminary, a natural history museum, besides other public buildings. The fortifications of Vauban, extended after the second treaty of Paris, are now demolished, and their place taken by boulevards. The lead ing objects of manufacture are stockings and "Brussels" carpets; the other industries include paper-making, threadmaking, and the spinning of wool and flax. The trade of the place is very considerable, as vessels of 150 tons burden can ascend the river to this point, and its railway communications are good. The population in 1876 was 32,145.

Tournay, supposed to be the Civitas Nerviorum of Cæsar, and afterwards known as Tournacus, was one of the first places conquered by the Franks, and Clovis made it for a time his capital. In modern times, standing as it does on the frontier between Belgium and France, it has been frequently besieged and taken. History records specially the siege by Alexander of Parma in 1581, when it was bravely but unsuccessfully defended by the princess D Épinoy, whose statue now stands in the Grande Place. Perkin Warbeck was a native of Tournai.