Narbonne
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Nar·bonne
A city of southern France near the Mediterranean coast southwest of Montpellier. Thought to have been the first Roman colony established in Transalpine Gaul (118 B.C.), it was an important seaport until its harbor silted up in the 14th century. It is now the commercial center of a wine-growing region. Population: 51,300.
Narbonne (närbôn'), city (1990 pop. 47,086), Aude dept., S France, near the Mediterranean coast. It is the commercial center of a wine-growing region and an industrial city producing sulfur, copper, and clothing. A uranium processing plant was built there in 1959. It was the first Roman colony established in Transalpine Gaul (118 B.C.) and was known as Narbo Martius; it later became the capital of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis. Narbonne was an archiepiscopal see from the 4th cent. until 1801. The city was occupied by the Visigoths in A.D. 413 and taken by the Saracens in 719 and the Franks in 759. It later became the seat of the viscounts of Narbonne, vassals of the counts of Toulouse, and was united to the French crown in 1507. Its port, silted up in 1320, brought great wealth to the city, especially during the Middle Ages. Narbonne was an important center of the Jews in the Middle Ages. Their expulsion (late 13th cent.) and the Black Death (1310), which is said to have taken 30,000 lives, were severe blows to the city's prosperity. In Narbonne are the remains of a Roman amphitheater and bridge, the splendid St. Just Cathedral (13th-14th cent.), and an archiepiscopal palace (13th cent.), now the town hall and museum.
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Narbonne
"Narbo" redirects here. For the former town in California, see Narbo, California.
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This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in the French Wikipedia. (December 2008) Don't speak French? Click here to read a machine-translated version of the French article. Click [show] on the right to review important translation instructions before translating.
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Narbonne |
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 Narbonne
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| Administration | ||
|---|---|---|
| Country | France | |
| Region | Languedoc-Roussillon | |
| Department | Aude | |
| Arrondissement | Narbonne | |
| Intercommunality | Narbonne | |
| Mayor | Jacques Bascou (PS) (2008–2014) |
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| Statistics | ||
| Elevation | 0–285 m (0–935 ft) | |
| Land area1 | 172.96 km2 (66.78 sq mi) | |
| Population2 | 52,252 (2008) | |
| - Density | 302 /km2 (780 /sq mi) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 11262/ 11100 | |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | ||
| 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | ||
Coordinates: 43°11′01″N 3°00′15″E / 43.1836°N 3.0042°E
Narbonne (French pronunciation: [naʁ.bɔn]; Occitan: Narbona; Latin: Narbo) is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies 849 km (528 mi) from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about 15 km (9.3 mi) from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is marginally the largest commune in Aude, although the capital is the slightly smaller commune of Carcassonne.
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Geography
Narbonne is linked to the nearby Canal du Midi and the Aude River by the Canal de la Robine, which runs through the centre of town.
History
Narbonne was established in Gaul in 118 BC, as Colonia Narbo Martius. It was located on the Via Domitia, the first Roman road in Gaul, built at the time of the foundation of the colony, and connecting Italy to Spain. Geographically, Narbonne was therefore located at a very important crossroads because it was situated where the Via Domitia connected to the Via Aquitania, which led toward the Atlantic through Toulouse and Bordeaux. In addition, it was crossed by the Aude River. Surviving members of Julius Caesar's Legio X Equestris were given lands in the area that today is called Narbonne.[citation needed]
Politically, Narbonne gained importance as a competitor to Massalia (Marseille). Julius Caesar settled veterans from his 10th legion there and attempted to develop its port while Marseille was revolting against Roman control. Among the amenities of Narbonne, its rosemary-flower honey was famous among Romans.[1]
Later, the provincia of southern Gaul was named "Gallia Narbonensis", after the city, and Narbonne was made its capital. Seat of a powerful administration, the city enjoyed economic and architectural expansion.
It was subsequently the capital of the Visigothic province of Septimania. For 40 years, from 719, Narbonne was part of the Emirate of Cordoba. Pepin of the carolingian conquered Narbonne from the Moslems of Spain in 759 after which it became part of the Carolingian Viscounty of Narbonne. He invited, according to Christian sources, prominent Jews from the Caliphate of Bagdad to settle in Narbonne and establish a major Jewish learning center for Western Europe.[2] In the 12th century, the court of Ermengarde of Narbonne (reigned 1134 to 1192) presided over one of the cultural centers where the spirit of courtly love was developed.
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 (Judæo-French) and Shuadit (Judæo-Provençal) languages. Jews had settled in Narbonne from about the 5th century, with a community that had risen to approximately 2000 in the 12th century. At this time, Narbonne was frequently mentioned in Talmudic works in connection with its scholars. One source, Abraham ibn Daud of Toledo, gives them an importance similar to the exilarchs of Babylon.[3] In the 12th and 13th centuries, the community went through a series of ups and downs before settling into extended decline.
Narbonne loses its river and port
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This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability. |
Narbonne itself fell into a slow decline in the 14th century, for a variety of reasons. One was due to a change in the course of the Aude River, which caused increased silting of the navigational access. The river, known as the Atax in ancient times, had always had two main courses which split close to Salelles; one fork going south through Narbonne and then to the sea close to the Clappe Massif, the other heading east to the etang at Vendres close to the current mouth of the river well to the east of the city. The Romans had improved the navigability of the river by building a dam near Salelles and also by canalising the river as it passed through its marshy delta to the sea (then as now the canal was known as the Robine.) A major flood in 1320 swept the dam away. The Aude river had a long history of overflowing its banks. When it was a bustling port, the distance from the coast was approximately 5 to 10 kilometres, but at that time the access to the sea was deep enough when the river was in full spate which made communication between port and city unreliable. However, goods could easily be transported by land and in shallow barges from the ports (there were several: a main port and forward ports for larger vessels; indeed the navigability from the sea into the etang and then into the river had been a perennial problem!)
The changes to the long seashore which resulted from the silting up of the series of graus or openings which were interspersed between the islands which made up the shoreline (St. Martin; St. Lucie) had a more serious impact than the change in course of the river. Other causes of decline were the plague and the raid of Edward, the Black Prince, which caused much devastation. The growth of other ports was also a factor.
Narbonne Cathedral
Narbonne Cathedral, dedicated to Saints Justus and Pastor, provides stark evidence of Narbonne's sudden and dramatic change of fortunes when one sees at the rear of the structure the enormously ambitious building programme frozen in time, for the cathedral—still one of the tallest in France—was never finished. The reasons are many, but the most important is that the completed cathedral would have required demolishing the city wall. The 14th century also brought the plague and a host of reasons for retaining the 5th-century (pre-Visigothic) walls.
Yet the choir, side chapels, sacristry, and courtyard remain intact, and the cathedral, although no longer the seat of a bishop or archbishop, remains the primary place of worship for the Roman Catholic population of the city, and is a major tourist attraction.
Building of the Canal de la Robine
From the sixteenth century, eager to maintain a link to important trade, the people of Narbonne began costly work to the vestiges of the Aude River's access to the sea so that it would remain navigable to a limited draft vessel and also serve as a link with the Royal Canal. This major undertaking resulted in the construction of the Canal de la Robine, which was finally linked with the Canal du Midi (then known as the Royal Canal) via the Canal de Jonction in 1776. In the 19th century, the canal system in the south of France came into competition with an expanding rail network, but kept some importance due to the flourishing wine trade.
Hence, despite its decline from Roman times, Narbonne managed to hold on to its vital but limited importance as a trading route, particularly in more recent centuries.
Population
| Year | 1793 | 1800 | 1806 | 1821 | 1831 | 1836 | 1841 | 1846 | 1851 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 9050 | 9086 | 9464 | 9940 | 10,246 | 10,762 | 11,907 | 11,427 | 13,066 |
| Year | 1856 | 1861 | 1866 | 1872 | 1876 | 1881 | 1886 | 1891 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 14,300 | 16,062 | 17,172 | 17,266 | 19,968 | 28,134 | 29,702 | 29,566 |
| Year | 1896 | 1901 | 1906 | 1911 | 1921 | 1926 | 1931 | 1936 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 27,824 | 28,852 | 27,039 | 28,173 | 28,956 | 29,841 | 31,909 | 30,047 |
| Year | 1946 | 1954 | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 29,975 | 32,060 | 33,891 | 38,441 | 39,342 | 41,565 | 45,849 | 46,510 |
| Year | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Population | 52,252 |
2012=60,000
Main sights
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- The cathedral dating from 1272
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- The Palais des Archevêques, the Archbishop's Palace, and its donjon with views over Narbonne
- Musée Archeologique, an archaeological museum in the town centre
- The Roman Horreum, a former grain warehouse, built underground as a cryptoporticus
- Remains of the Via Domitia in the city center
- The canal, Canal de la Robine, running through the centre of the town
- The Halles covered market operates every day. The busiest times are Sunday and Thursday mornings.
- The nearby limestone massif known as La Clape and the beach at Narbonne plage
Sport
Narbonne is home to the rugby union team RC Narbonne. Racing Club de Narbonne Méditerannée (also known as RC Narbonne) is a French rugby union club that played the 2007-08 season in the second-level Rugby Pro D2, after finishing at the bottom of the 2006-07 Top 14 table. They were founded in 1907. They play at the Parc des Sports Et de l'Amitié (capacity 12,000). They wear orange and black.
Transport
The Gare de Narbonne railway station offers direct connections to Paris, Barcelona, Toulouse, Marseille and several regional destinations.
Personalities
- Léon Blum was born in Paris but was elected as Deputy for Narbonne in 1929, re-elected in 1932 and 1936.
- Makhir of Narbonne, medieval Jewish scholar
- Saint Sébastien, third-century Christian saint and martyr
- Dimitri Szarzewski, rugby player
- Charles Trenet, singer and songwriter
See also
References
- ^ Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat (Anthea Bell, tr.) The History of Food, 2nd ed. 2009:23.
- ^ Trigano - The Conventionalism of social Bonds and the Strategies of Jewish Society in the Thirteenth Century; Byrd - The Jesus Gene: A messianic Bloodline, the Jews and Freemasonry accessdate=2012-02-16
- ^ Jewish encyclopedia.
- Michel Gayraud, Narbonne antique des origines à la fin du IIIe siècle. Paris: De Boccard, Revue archéologique de Narbonnaise, Supplément 8, 1981, 591 p.
- Histoire de Narbonne, Jacques Michaud and André Cabanis, eds, Toulouse: Privat, 2004.
- L’Aude de la préhistoire à nos jours (under the direction of Jacques Crémadeilis), Saint-Jean-d’Angély, 1989.
- Les Audois : dictionnaire biographique, Rémy Cazals et Daniel Fabre, eds., Carcassonne, Association des Amis des Archives de l’Aude, Société d’Études Scientifiques de l’Aude, 1990.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Narbonne |
- Official website (French)
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
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