Narbonne


Narbonne is located in the département of the Aude. It lies on a vine-growing plain, about 8 miles from the Mediterranean.
 Narbonne was founded in 118 BC, as a Roman port, on the Mediterranean coast. This sea-port was the capital of Gallia. Narbo Martius as it was called, was one of the most important ports in the Roman Empire. It became the capital of a province stretching from Toulouse to Geneva.
A market was established for the sale of agricultural produce, and a typical Roman town grew around its market.  
 
The Cathedral of Saint-Just was begun in 1272. It was styled on the cathedrals of northern France, but was never completed. The choir, and two square towers, were the only parts of the church to be finished. 
 
The town was a major Mediterranean fishing port, until the early 14th century. The harbour eventually became silted up, and Narbonne found itself landlocked, some 8 kms. from the sea, and thus began the decline of Narbonne.
A canal (Canal de la Robine), was cut from Narbonne to the River Aude, in an effort to enable trade to continue, but this trade eventually moved to Marseilles .
The terrain, and climate around Narbonne, is well suited to vine growing, and the plain was planted in vines by the Romans. Wine became Narbonne's major source of wealth, and the colony thrived. It remains a prolific producer of wine.
 
Narbonne was subsequently occupied by the Visigoths, after an invasion in AD410. Three centuries later, in AD719 , the Arab Saracens captured the town, and held it for forty years. The city then become part of the Frankish kingdom, under Pépin the Short (father of Charlemagne).
 
After these turbulent times, Narbonne saw a period of peace, and prosperity in the 13th century. Narbonne was the seat of a powerful Archbishop during the Middle Ages, and the town was ruled by the counts of Toulouse,
During the Middle Ages, the southern part of the town was ruled by the counts of Toulouse; the northern part was under episcopal administration. In 1507, Narbonne was united to the French crown.
 
The city contains Roman ruins. The three square towers of the fortified Palais des Archevêques, date from the 13th and 14th centuries. The Gothic-style town hall was added to the palace only in the 19th century. The building now houses two museums, that contain collections of paintings, ceramics, and Roman artifacts.
The Canal de la Robine, a branch of the Canal du Midi, runs through the city. The Canal separates the northern part of the town, which is historically known as the Cité, from the Bourg to the south. The old town, now surrounded by boulevards, has picturesque, narrow, winding streets.

Narbonne is thriving again, and is an attractive place for shopping, and sightseeing. It is a cosmopolitan town with plenty of restaurants.

From May to September the Motorail service connects direct from Calais to Narbonne.

It attracts history buffs with it's memories of a glorious past. Even today, you can still see evidence of the town's former wealth. The Roman forum, and the Capital building have been excavated, near the centre of the present town. And an ancient aqueduct still runs near Narbonne. Beneath the plaza, in front of the Town Hall (Mairie), the old Roman road (the Via Domitia), has been excavated. The road lies a few feet below the present surface, and is in relatively good condition. Ruts can be clearly seen, made by the many carts that passed through the city.

There is nothing to be seen of the original Roman canal. It is thought to be occupied by the present Canal de la Robine, connecting the city to the Canal du Midi. A bridge over the canal, which dates from the Roman era still exists, but it has been extensively modified.

The centre of Narbonne, is bisected by the flower-bordered Canal de la Robine. It has a guarded port, located in the heart of the town, providing safe mooring for boat tourists to enjoy an exploration of the town.

Without a doubt the best place to head for, is the 100-year old Halles (covered food market) by the banks of the canal. This market is, for sure, one of the best in France.

On Thursday, and Sunday mornings, there is also an open air market stretching along the canal bank near the Halles

A walk through the labyrinth of streets dating from the Midde-ages are intriguing, and steeped in antiquity.

The Palais des Archevèques (Archbishops' Palace), and St-Just and St Pasteur's Cathedral, are worthy of a visit. The great Gothic cathedral was begun in 1272, and work continued on and off, until arguments about demolishing part of the city walls to allow its building in 1347, put a stop to it. The cathedral remains unfinished to this day

The Parc des Sports, offers some of the finest sports facilities, and the futuristic Espace de la Liberté, that was opened in 1989 to commemorate the bicentenary of the French revolution, has an Olympic-sized indoor pool, with 85 meter long waterslides, a smaller paddling pool for children, and an outdoor pool. You can ice-skate, or play ten-pin bowling here, and afterwards have a meal in the restaurant.

If you want to go to the beach, you'll have to head to the nearby sands at the village of Gruisson and the beach (Gruisson-Plage) , or to the beaches of St-Pierre la Mer or Narbonne-Plage.

The nearby salt water lakes to the south of Narbonne, at Bages and Peyriac, are a paradise. 

Enserune

A village existed at Enserune, long before the arrival of the Romans. This was a hill fortress (oppidum) having been first settled by the Celt-Iberians, and built on a plateau 400 feet above the coastal plain.

It was used by Julius Caesar as a jump-off point during the invasion of Gaul. The Romans, early recognized the area as a strategic military crossroads in southern France, controlling the route to Spain. They later established a colony on the coast, called Narbo Martius, moving the settlement down from its hilltop position, and Enserune declined. The fortress at Esurune was subsequently abandoned and later used as the site of a Christian church.

The road that passed by here, having skirted all along the coast from Spain, was improved by the Roman legions under Domitius Ahenobarbus, and became known as the via Domitia.

Today Ensurune is famous for its dried up lake. Viewed from the heights, it resembles a dartboard, and was formed by the farmers extending their fields to the waters edge as the lake dried up. 

Abbaye de Fontfroide

The Abbaye de Fontfroide, was founded in 1145, on the site of an earlier Benedictine establishment, and became one of the most important, and richest abbeys in the south. One of its abbots became Pope Benedict XII in the 14th century.

It was the murder of the papal legate Pierre de Castelnau, a monk from Fontfroide, which provided the excuse, that Pope Innocent III used to start his crusade against the Cathars

It is in a classic situation for a Benedictine abbey, tucked into a narrow, sheltered valley, remote from the outside world. It fell into decay, and was subsequently run by nobles who were given the courtesy title of Abbots, without actually being monks.

The monastic lifestyle was not entirely to their taste, and they added luxuries such as fireplaces, elaborate staircases, and marble pillars in the cloisters, making parts of the abbey look more like a château than an abbey.

A local family bought the ruins early this century, and spent many years restoring it, with their own money. The church itself, with its 20-metre high roof, has the simple lines, so typical of Cistercian abbeys. It is entered via a 13th-century cloister. In the monks' dormitory, there is a display of collages, made from fragments of glass, rescued from bombed churches in eastern France after the First World War.

The owners have added a gorgeous rose garden, containing over 2,000 bushes, including some medieval varieties. Visits are by guided tour only (one every 45 minutes), in French, but leaflets are available in other languages. 

Bages

The low-lying coast, south of Narbonne, between Bages and Peyriac is where in Roman times, flat-bottomed boats plied the lagoons carrying salt, and merchandise from sea-going vessels. Bages is a picturesque fishing village, on a steep rocky outcrop, overlooking the Etang de Bages. There is no longer much commercial fishing here, but it is increasingly popular with holidaymakers, and has several restaurants. Large flocks of pink flamingos, and other waterfowl live in the salt water lake.