DREUX

town, Eure-et-Loir dpartement, Centre rgion, north-central France. It lies along the Blaise River, northwest of Chartres. Known to the Romans as Drocae, it was held by the Durocasses, a Gallic tribe. It gave its name to a medieval family of counts. Franois, Duke de Guise, defeated the Huguenots there in 1562, marking the beginning of the Wars of Religion. The town's monuments include Le Beffroi, or old town hall (151237); the Gothic Church of Saint-Pierre (13th17th century); and the 19th-century Chapel of Saint-Louis (a mausoleum for the princes of the Orlans family). Dreux's manufactures include chemicals and railroad and agricultural equipment. Pop. (1990) 35,230.