Autun

Autun, town, Saône-et-Loire département, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté région, central France, on the Arroux River, southwest of Dijon. Augustodunum (Autun) succeeded Bibracte as the Gallic oppidum (fortified town) and was an important Roman city renowned for its schools of rhetoric. Much of the Roman wall, with two 3rd-century gates, remains, as well as a Roman theatre. The church of Saint-Lazare (1130), once the chapel of the dukes of Burgundy, is known for its Romanesque sculpture, particularly that of Gisleberte, whose work greatly influenced the succeeding age. Autun developed as a market town, serving the livestock farmers of the Morvan. Apart from its function as a commercial centre, it has factories that produce textiles, cables, and metal and electrical products. Pop. (1999) 16,419; (2014 est.) 13,955.