Narbonne
Above: The Archbishop's Palace in Narbonne.
Photo under GFDL. Narbonne (Narbona in Occitan) is a city and commune of southwestern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region and the Aude département. Once a port city, it is now located about 15 km away from the Mediterranean Sea. Located 849km from Paris, Narbonne has a population of about 50,000.
Narbonne was the first Roman colony outside of Italy. It was established in Gaul in 118 BC, as Colonia Narbo Martius. It was located on the Via Domitia, the first Roman road in Gaul, which connected Italy to Spain. At Narbonne, the Via Domitia connected to the Via Aquitania, which lead toward the Atlantic across Toulouse and Bordeaux.
Narbonne later became the capital of the Visigoth province of Septimania until the 8th century. In the 11th and 12th centuries, Narbonne was home to an important Jewish exegetical school, which played a pivotal role in the growth and development of the Zarphatic (Judeo-French) and Shuadit (Judeo-Provençal) languages.
Narbonne fell into decline in the 14th century, partly due to a change in the course of the Aude River – the resulting changes to the coastline meant that the city could no longer serve as a Mediterranean port. The town regained some of its vitality with the expansion of vineyards in the 19th century. Today, Narbonne is a small southwestern city and a popular tourist destination with many sights of religious interest.
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Archbishop's Palace
The impressive Palais des Archevèques was built between the 12th and 14th centuries. Today, it houses two notable museums: the Museum of Art and the Museum of Archaeology. |
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Basilica of St. Paul Serge
This early Gothic basilica has an elegant choir with fine Renaissance woodcarvings. It was built on the site of a 4th-century necropolis and contains some ancient Christian sarcophagi. |
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Cathedral Saint-Just
Located next to the Archbishop's Palace on the main square, Narbonne Cathedral Narbonne Cathedral was begun in 1272 and never finished. |
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Fontfroide Abbey
Nestled in a green valley not far from Narbonne, the 12th-century Cisterican Abbey of Fontfroide is one of the most complete abbey complexes remaining today. |
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