BELLEY, the capital of an arrondissement in the department of Ain, France, is situated near the Rhone, 39 miles east of Lyons. It is the seat of a bishopric founded in 412, and contains an episcopal palace, a cathedral, an ecclesiastical school, a museum, and a public library. The principal industries are the weaving of cotton goods and the culture of the silk-worm. Important fairs are held for the sale of cattle and horses. In the vicinity are found the best lithographic stones in France. Belley is a place of considerable antiquity, and preserves the remains of a Roman temple. It was the capital of the district of Bugey, which maintained its separate constitution down to the Revolution. The neighbourhood is remarkable for its objects of interest both natural and historical, such as the cascades of Glandieux, the intermitting fountain of Grouin, and the Carthusian abbeys at Arvières and Portes. Population in 1872, 3902.