a town of France, capital of the department of Morbihan, at the mouth of the River Vannes, in the Bay of Morbihan, 68 miles N.W. of Nantes, and 285 W. by S. of Paris. It stands on the summit and slope of a hill, and was formerly fortified and entered by six gates, four of which and a great part of the ramparts still remain. The streets are dark, narrow, and irregular; and the houses antique, and not very well built. The cathedral is a massive and heavy building, with a lofty inelegant spire; but it contains some good monuments and pictures. Of the ancient castle, a single large tower is all that remains. Besides these, Vannes contains several churches, an episcopal palace, college, various schools, hospitals, a theatre, public library, and courts of law. The manufactures consist of coarse woollen cloth, linen, cotton, lace, and leather. The harbour is small, and admits only vessels of small burthen; but it is lined with good quays, and has ship-building yards near it. A considerable trade is carried on in corn, hemp, butter, wax, cider, brandy, wine, and manufactured goods. Vannes is by some considered to occupy the site of Dari-origum, the capital of the ancient Veneti, though others believe the latter to have been at Locmariaher, about 5 miles N. by W. of Vannes, where remains of a circus and Roman road are still extant. Pop. (1856) 12,466.