General Notes

OCCU Viscount of MaconMon,town, capital of Sane-et-Loire dpartement, Bourgogne rgion,east-central France, north of Lyon. On the right bank of theSane River, it is a communications centre
skirted by France'smain motorway, the Autoroute du Sud, and traversed by the mainroad from the Loire region to Geneva, which crosses the restored14th-century St. Laurent Bridge over the Sane.
Called Matiscoby the Romans, Mon was an episcopal see from 536 to 1790. Theformer Cathedral of Saint-Vincent was largely demolished in1799. Old buildings include the house, now the museum, in
whichthe 19th-century poet and politician Alphonse de Lamartine wasborn.Situated near the Monnais and Beaujolais vineyards, whichproduce such renowned wines as Pouilly Fouiss, Julienas, andMoulin
  Vent, it is a wine-trading centre. An internationalwine fair is held there annually. Mon is also a market forCharolais cattle and has a modern industrial zone (manufacturingmechanical equipment
and motorcycles), as well as a river portby virtue of the Sane's natural navigability. Pop. (1982)36,517.Copyright (c) 1996 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. All RightsReserved
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DATE 28 NOV 1997