MOULINS

town, capital of Allier dpartement, Auvergne rgion, central France. It lies northwest of Lyon and is situated on the right bank of the Allier River. The town's 16th- to 17th-century Flamboyant Gothic Cathedral of Notre-Dame houses the famous triptych by the 15th-century Dutch painter referred to as the Master of Moulins (q.v.). The cathedral has some fine 15th- and 16th-century stained-glass windows. The nearby 15th-century tower has a quaint jaquemart clock with automatons that strike the quarter-hours. The municipal library opposite contains the 12th-century Bible of Souvigny, a magnificent illuminated manuscript from Souvigny Priory, 7 miles (12 km) southeast of Moulins. Part of the ancient castle of the dukes of Bourbon currently serves as a prison. The town, which has some fine old houses, reached a high state of prosperity in the 15th and 16th centuries. Today it has light industries (footwear and electromechanical appliances) and food processing; it is also a market town for a prosperous agricultural region. Pop. (1982) 25,096.